Shelagh Fogarty caller 'desperate' to visit mum abroad despite MPs' Covid variant concerns
This is the moment a Shelagh Fogarty caller expressed her desire to visit her mother in Cyprus in September, despite MPs expressing concern over Covid-19 variants.
The exchange between Sam in Richmond and Shelagh came as the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coronavirus is urging the Government to "discourage all international leisure travel" to protect the UK from Covid-19 variants.
The APPG claims the importation of new variants could "lead to further lockdowns" and has described airport arrival halls as "a breeding ground for infection".
Sam told Shelagh: "I had my mum on the phone this morning in tears.
"It's her and my dad out there [in Cyprus]. My dad is her full-time carer. She hasn't seen any of her family for almost two years."
She added: "Don't tell me I can't see my family. I'm desperate. I may never see my mother again.
"But [do] you know what? I will do everything I can to get there in September."
Meanwhile, Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, who chairs the APPG on coronavirus, has said: "It is staggering that the Government is even contemplating encouraging overseas holidays when airports are already struggling to keep the virus and new variants at bay."
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