care home residents in england will be allowed to have face—to—face visits from next week — with one regular visitor for the first time in nearly a year. the government has published details of how the visits will work. they can take place indoors, and visitors will need to be tested but not necessarily vaccinated. our social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. this has been the ritual for gillian lay them and jacqueline for months now. masks on, they make their way to visit their father michael in his barnsley care home. he has dementia. on monday, rather than behind a screen, just one of them will be able to sit with him, hold his hand but not hug. she can come in next week. don't bang on the door, don't. it may be a step forward but he's been making his frustration at not being able to see all his family clearfor a long time. this was a visit a few weeks ago. the only touch possible through thick rubber gloves. he gets really frustrated, and he is like walking about, shouting, angry, swearing at us, calling us idiots for not coming in. it is torture, it's purgatory. at this care home in norfolk, they have been recognising families as essential carers since last october. as part of a pilot scheme they have had the same ppe and testing as staff. it means basil norman gets to see both his daughters. we have seen our resident�* wellbeing go from very low to very high, those that had lost weight have now gained that weight. i can say that it was a stressful, unhappy place to work, and now it is full of life again. there are a few care homes which have already started allowing close family visits but the majority are waiting until monday to cautiously reopen. and many remain extremely concerned about the threat of covid coming in. back in barnsley at michael's care home, they are nervous but ready for visitors. if we stick to the guidelines and do everything we can, we will be as safe as we can be, but there will always be a concern. and why do families will want monday to be the first step towards being properly reunited. alison holt, bbc news, barnsley. 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 rollout 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. 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, the 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 rollout 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. 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 when we on the program 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 with stefano for 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. laughs. 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. 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 or 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. 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. hello. a colder start to the day for many of us because behind a weather front which has been sinking southwards, we've got colder air. but it still looks mainly dry, actually, and quite settled during the day ahead, albeit rather chilly. and the origin of that air right the way up from the poles here, following this weak weather front, which gave a lot of cloud through thursday. and into the start of thursday night, quite a keen breeze as well coming down the north sea coast. so temperatures hovering around freezing in southern and eastern areas holding up in the southwestjust under the cloud, close to freezing in rural areas in the south and east as well as further north. so a crisp start, and a better chance of some dry, bright and sunny weather through the day ahead, but there are some wintry showers following that weather front, given how cold it is. they will continue notjust through the remainder of the night but through the day to pester eastern areas, but they will be few and far between. temperatures are down, though, 7—8 celsius is below average for the time of year and lower than they have been for the last couple of days, but with the sunshine and lighter winds, hopefully that will compensate. during the coming nights, again, through friday night into saturday, you can see we keep those clearer skies, and it is widely frosty, quite a sharp frost in many areas, these towns and cities, but they will be lower out in the suburbs. and that is because we keep our high—pressure with us, light winds, clearerskies, so temperatures at this time of year still with the lengthy nights will drop away, but perhaps some of the atlantic influence coming in from the west later in the weekend. but for saturday, subtle changes in wind direction across the north and the west. quite a brisk wind here both friday and saturday, but helping to break the cloud up elsewhere, still chilly after the cold starts, some mist and fog as well around in the mornings through the weekend. because of that light wind, it will be slow to clear. once it does, hopefully some sunshine. but this is the big change, the potentialfor some rain across the north and northwest of scotland during the day. the start of the atlantic influence, if you like. and the temperatures will lift slightly, whilst elsewhere with the light wind regime, the mist and fog will still be with us sunday morning. now by the end of monday into tuesday, we are really starting to see the effect of the atlantic, and we could have quite a deep area of low pressure rattling in through tuesday and potentially again on wednesday, so it is looking much more unsettled we as go into the new week. for the weekend, still chilly, frosty, foggy nights, fine days. bye— bye. welcome to bbc news. i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories... there's a blunt message from the president of brazil as criticisms continues over the vaccine roll out programme and the rising death toll in the country. stop all of this fussing and wining. how long are you going to keep crying? we have to face our problems. the un is urged to come up with a strong international response in the wake of the myanmar military coup. china's congress set to unveil new plans to squeeze hong kong's democracy and ensure beijing loyalists are in charge. these are the live pictures from inside the hall.

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