but there are concerns it could lead to some ignoring the rules. leigh milner reports. victoria park, broadway market in hackney and around the corner, london fields. a great day for a bike ride — a picnic, not so much. we want to make sure that lockdown is eased at the dates that the government said, and my message is, please, the regulations are still in place. picnics and meet—ups are not allowed until the 8th of march, but it didn't stop people here at high beech near loughton. i've been driving around here for about half an hour, and it is absolutely packed. can everybody remember to keep their distance? for the owner of this cafe, a long line is great for business, but hard to manage. today has been extra special. as you can see, we're really busy. we are asking people to distance themselves. it is not actually working at the moment, but i will go back and spread them out again. throughout the day, many people enjoy the sunshine across london. please keep 2m . distances, please. but experts warn there has never been a more important time to remember the rules. when you have got a large portion who don't go out much, the older, the vulnerable, who have been vaccinated, and a large proportion of people who do go out more, the so—called mixers, who are more healthy, who haven't, that is the key time for a variant to emerge, and if we end up with a vaccine resistant variant, we are all going to be back to square one, but with no prospect of an immediate vaccine on the horizon. do not wreck this now, it is too early to relax. just continue to maintain discipline and hang on, just a few more months, do not wreck this. as spring arrives, londoners are being reminded that lockdown isn't over yet, and there is still a long way to go. leigh milner, bbc london. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week on the show... vaccinations are something we are all very excited about, notjust in the cruise industry but within the travel industry more broadly, and we are excited to see the roll—out happening in many countries. the hidden reef that could be a game changer. there's so much coral! and fun with fruit in northern italy. this is it now. tell my family i love them. hello and welcome to pemba island, a little slice of paradise just a few short miles off the coast of tanzania. i am here to find out why a new discovery on the bottom of the indian ocean could be a game changerfor the creatures that live in and around the coral reef here. first, though: high waves and ocean views. there was a time when cruising was — well, just cruising. and the industry went from strength to strength, enjoying healthy profits. a record 30 million passengers worldwide took a cruise in 2019. that figure was only projected to grow, but then covid happened and the whole industry was brought to a halt. cruise liners were hit particularly hard during the first wave of the pandemic. in march 2020, the ruby princess was one of the first big cruise ships to have a covid outbreak, on a cruise from australia to new zealand. kim hurley was on board. on one level we were like, should we get out on the ship? and there were a lot of people cleaning handrails and stuff like that. but i guess our real concern was when the announcement came over to say that we're turning around. australia has said that we have to go back to the port that we left from, and that we would no longer be continuing the cruise. they were saying if anybody had any symptoms of cold or flu, to go down to the medical centre, but apart from that we did not need to worry. after an ii—day voyage, the ruby princess returned to sydney. the 2,700 passengers disembarked, some like kim hurley unknowingly infected with covid. passengers travelled onwards without quarantining, spreading the virus further. at least 28 deaths globally were linked to the ruby princess. an official inquiry later identified serious mistakes made by the local health authorities, but the princess cruises company was cleared. by spring 2020, most cruise lines paused their operations. financial difficulties brought many companies to the brink. british cruise liner cruise & maritime voyages collapsed in the summer. even smaller, more specialised cruising companies faced hardship. the co—founder of the majestic line, a company operating in scotland, has two words to describe the past year. absolutely dreadful. i mean, we've basically had no income whatsoever. normally we take on about 50 seasonal staff. we were not able to take them on. luckily our bank were very supportive. we took out the business interaction loans, so we've taken on more debt. so it was a dreadful year. —— interruption loans. the only way companies like his can stay afloat was to introduce stringent health measures and new hygiene rules on board, in cooperation with governmental health authorities. the hope was that by forming bubbles of passengers and implementing strict sanitary measures, that travel would be safe. we were one of the first industries globally to voluntarily suspend our operations back in 2020. since then there's been a limited resumption of cruising, for example in europe and parts of asia, where we've seen the successful application of some of the health measures that we introduced. it includes, for example, mandatory testing of all guests before they're allowed to embark. it includes all of those things that we've become very used to, say things like social distancing and hand sanitisation, et cetera, and the use of face coverings. these measures go much further than all other travel sectors, and indeed all other sectors in hospitality. cruises resumed slowly. some companies developed the concept of the cruise to nowhere, starting and ending at the same port without stops. that might seem a bit bonkers to you and me, if we want to get off and explore a destination. but so many cruise fans just want to be back at sea, just want a change from looking at their four walls. so there are no ports to be called at, it'sjust being at sea and having that holiday at sea. there are ways around it should a port suddenly get locked down due to a spike in coronavirus. but even cruises to nowhere were struck by covid cases. a singapore cruise to nowhere was cut short last december after a passenger tested positive. so how is the cruise industry going to dig itself out of this hole? last month, the over—50s saga cruises company was the first to announce it would resume its trips in may, but would require all passengers to be fully vaccinated. other companies have since followed suit. vaccinations are something we're all very excited about, notjust in the cruise industry but within the travel industry more broadly. we're excited to see the roll—out happening in many countries. it's probably too early to say whether this will become something that is used by all operators, but currently a number of operators will use it as just one of those medications to operate those cruises. —— mitigations. so should you start looking your cruising holiday? well, earlier this week the government announced that international travel will not resume until may at the earliest, but cruise expert kaye holland believes it is still possible to book now for later. every single cruise line pretty much has a policy in place that if you can't go ahead with your cruise because there is another outbreak of covid, or god forbid someone in your family comes down with coronavirus, there's a flexible policy. they will just move you to another booking or you can get a refund. so book, keep the industry afloat — pardon the pun — and support them and have something for you to look forward to as well. it is all green—blue seas and long sandy beaches. so much beauty and so few tourists, even in normal times. most of the beach—goers coming to the zanzibar archipelago head to the main island, which is about half an hour's flight here. pemba island is not very well known, but for anyone interested in what is underwater, it is a great place to be. the reef systems here are some of the most diverse in east africa. but there is an old, familiar story, one we have heard on so many occasions in so many different places. damage from warming seas, tourism and fishing is causing harm to the reef. this section has been broken by an anchor. hassan has been snorkelling here for years. he is heartbroken at the increasing damage being caused to the reef. it was good before, but for now it is being destroyed. the fishermen destroy the reef by putting their anchor on the coral, and sometimes they use nets for fishing. the locals use fishing line, which can pull down corals. for now, the number of fishermen is high. they're coming along the reef and fishing everywhere, and that area is destroyed. damage from local fishermen is only the tip of the iceberg. scientists predict that by 2050 we will have lost 90% of the world's reefs due to global warming, so every single inch is precious. but there is some cause for hope. ok, we're about a 50—minute boat ride west of pemba island, and we're just about on top of something that marine biologists are excited about. in recent months, scientists have discovered this cool spot in a warm sea. it is cool because of meltwaters running off mount kilimanjaro up in the far north of tanzania. as a result, undersea life here is thriving. the variety of marine species which benefit and choose this area to be their own, including fish and other endangered species like the dugong, we have spinner dolphins... spinner dolphins would be a wonderful thing to see here, and i am hopeful. they congregate in pods of up to 1,000 and leap out of the water, sometimes spinning multiple times in one leap. we have our eyes peeled. here in pemba channel, there are so many. unfortunately, for years they have been overfishing, so the discovery of this area could be a game changer. they will turn this area to be their home. we are 10—20 metres down so the light is a little bit lower than i would like but it is immediately obvious to me that the reef is in great shape. the coral is abundant and it is crawling with life. i have done a lot of diving around the world and seen a lot of unhealthy coral, with the exception of the reefs around indonesia, this is the most impressive i have seen. wow! it is really nice. yes, really nice. there is so much coral. yes! now, it has been identified, the next step is how best to protect it, notjust from the climate but from fishing and tourism. so lots of fish, lots of coral, but no spinner dolphins. this place is very special, newly discovered, and because i guess it is quite sensitive, would you expect tourists to be able to visit here? yep. actually we would like to share the beauty of this place with the rest of the world. before moving to that step, we need to make sure we come up with a strategic plan on how we can protect it. because that will be the challenge for the future. this sanctuary may not be the answer to the many threats these ecosystems are facing but it is encouraging news in the short term. so, with the worst of the weather behind us, hopefully, this is the time of year that we on the programme would normally be looking forward to a full calendar of spring and summer events in the uk and europe. over the years, we have sailed in a belgium bath tub race. i don't know, just going to keep on rowing. painted the town black at an english goth weekend. some of these costumes are just so impressive. and enjoyed a glass or two at switzerland's craziest most colourful wine festival. look at this atmosphere! unfortunately, with many of us facing continuing coronavirus restrictions for months to come, most of these events will have to be cancelled for another year. i caught up stefano from the battle of the oranges carnival in italy which was due to take place this weekend. it is a huge loss, you can't imagine, something holy, something sacred for us. during this carnival, it is very traditional to wear the red hat. you can see all of the people going around with the red hat. so it is something that they feel inside indeed and it's something that you can't cancel. you can cancel the carnival but you can't cancel the soul and the feel of the carnival. a full year ago, i went to northern italy back when it was on the verge of europe's first coronavirus lockdown, just as the 2020 battle got under way. this is ivrea, a peaceful riverside town at the foot of the alps in the piedmont region of italy. for most of the year, residents here live a relatively calm life but once a year before shrove tuesday, nets are hung and windows are boarded up as the town gears up for two days of orange throwing carnage. now it is not clear when or why oranges became the weapon of choice, especially when you consider the lack of citrus trees in this region, but that doesn't seem to bother the locals who go through thousands of crates worth over the two days. but there is more to this annual celebration than a giant food fight. can you tell me first of all, gabriella, what are the origins of this festival? it is a mixture of history and legend. there was a very unpopular tax which is was a tax on the flower. as well as rising taxes, legend has it that ivrea used to be ruled by an evil baron who enacted an archaic law that gave him the right to spend the night with brides before they wed. when the baron tried his luck with the miller�*s daughter, no doubt to the annoyance of her groom to be, she decapitated him. prompting the townwide rebellion at the heart of today's celebrations. it is an historic parade and it is very important for people because the two parts, orange battles and history part, are together. what do you think today the battle represents? what is it about really? it is a time in which it is possible to show that ivrea is a community. if you see your friend, you throw oranges really hard. but people get hurt, does that matter? no, no. i am not entirely sure that is true but luckily for me, one team has agreed to let me ride in their carts during the infamous battle, so i will soon find out the hard way. i had met my fellow teammates at a farmhouse where they are prepping for the big showdown. so, this is the first time i've been on this task, this is going to be my carriage. this is where i will be the baddie and i will be going through town, throwing these things at other people. i'm an obvious target, that is the whole point. but first, a trial run. wow, it really whacks you! wow! and that is just a soft trial, wow! as i recover and psych myself up for the battle, my comrades prepared a cavalry. surprisingly, it is actually the presentation of your carts and horses that you are judged on during the battle, not your orange throwing prowess. ok, so we have had the lunch, people have had some drinks and whatever to build up some sort of dutch courage. i have got now my armoury on, my insignia, my helmet is here. i have been given lots of advice, can i be honest, i am really quite nervous now because i've got a feeling this is going to be pretty painful. however, i do have a companion here with me. hi, raphael. hi, how are you? you have done this many times so what is your advice to me? just to keep calm, just keep going, don't stop moving. don't stop moving. and don't be afraid, it is just for pleasure. easy to say this. it is 100% pleasure. 100% pleasure? you will see. masochistic pleasure. well, i am on the carts and we are nearing the city and the tension is rising. it is almost better having no idea what to expect because this way, i can feel no pain and anxiety yet. but i have got feelings this is not going to be fun, it is going to be painful. you see the others? yes. yelling. we stopped on the outskirts of the town for the horses to be checked over. as my fellow teammates say goodbye to their loved ones, there is a definite feeling of heading off to war in the air. yelling. this is it now, tell my family, i love them. yelling. it was all a blur. the citrus smell, the noise, the adrenaline. i have no idea how long i was being pelted at. wow, that was exhilarating! it was mad, like being in a weird dream, and all of the advice that my compatriots gave me was brilliant. breathe, keep throwing, keep throwing, and guess what, i was ok. fantastic! really good feeling! as beautiful as it is here in pemba, this is all the time we have left for this week. next week, ari is here to look back at some of our favourite trips around europe, from roger stoicism on board the continent's favourite ride... to christa's vigorous workout on board an ancient greek warship. remember, you canjoin our adventures by following us on social media, we are on all of the regular platforms. for now, from me, mike corey and the rest the team from beautiful pemba island, it is goodbye. the weather's been pretty good lately across most of the uk. lots of sunshine, it feels like spring. the flowers are coming up. there's certainly more oomph to that sunshine, and there's every reason to believe the weather is going to stay settled for the next few days because of high pressure. but high pressure doesn't necessarily mean sunshine everywhere. in fact, it really does all depend on how the wind blows and where around the area of high pressure. and sometimes we get sort of lumps of cloud stuck in that high, and they may creep in from the coast well inland. so, it does mean that some areas in the morning could be pretty overcast. where the skies are clear overnight, there'll be a touch of frost in the morning, but elsewhere, it's going to be above freezing. so, this is what it might look like in some areas early on sunday morning, and in fact possibly even into the afternoon. here's an example. around lincolnshire, east anglia and down into the south east, possibly london, too, you may have to wait a while before that cloud burns to the coast, if it does. in some areas, it might actually hang around, and temperatures will struggle to seven degrees. but out towards central and western areas, we're talking about 10—12 degrees. not spectacular, but actually mild enough, really, for the very end of february. because as we head into the 1st of march, the first day of meteorological spring, again a touch of frost in the morning to greet us, to greet march. temperatures out towards western areas a little bit milder there, 3—6 degrees. now, here's the high pressure monday and into tuesday. it'll sort of be around about here. in fact, extending its reach well into europe across the alps and further south into the mediterranean as well. now, look how much cloud there is on monday. now, this is so, so difficult to predict. in fact, it could linger, it may not. it may actually clear away, so there's a bit of a caveat there. yes, plenty of sunshine with the high pressure, but it's not guaranteed. and it's a little bit cooler, only around eight degrees. in fact, there will be a tendency for temperatures to drop a little bit as we go through the course of the week. slightly cooler air may be reaching us from the northern climes, but enjoy the sunshine if you can. welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughanjones — our top stories. myanmar security forces use tear—gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds — in the biggest crackdown yet on anti—coup protesters. new zealand's biggest city, begins a snap seven—day lockdown — after a new coronavirus case. injuries and arrests in the centre of dublin — during violent demonstrations against covid—i9 restrictions. tributes are paid to the record—breaking, british charity fundraiser, captain sir tom moore — at his funeral, family members say his spirit will live on. praise for donald trump at the annual gathering