One of Asia’s top tourism locations will ease many restrictions to international visitors in July – but only for those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus, Travel Correspondent Simon Calder writes.

Thailand is targeting British travellers who are over 50, though it is not yet clear how visitors will prove they have been jabbed.

The Thai prime minister, Prayuth Chan-Ocha, approved the plan in a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration on Friday.

A pilot programme will begin on 1 July on the holiday island of Phuket in southwest Thailand.

A government scientific adviser has urged caution over Rishi Sunak’s call for people to “get out there” when hospitality reopens.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of a Sage sub-group, which advises the government, said ministers need to use “slightly more measured language” as England risks “flipping from one extreme to the other”.

The infectious diseases expert said he welcomed the government’s move to allow non-essential retailers to open until 10pm six days a week, but warned more caution was needed with the language used to encourage shoppers and people socialising to return safely.

Speaking at the Conservative Party spring forum on Friday, Mr Sunak indicated that the Eat Out To Help Out scheme will not return this spring or summer once lockdown eases, but he encouraged people to “get out there” and “have fun” as soon as shops reopen.

Non-essential retailers will be allowed to extend their opening hours until 10pm six days a week when they reopen to customers from 12 April.

Shops can open from 7am to 10pm to help customers avoid peak times and ease pressure on public transport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

The government also announced it will extend flexible working hours on construction sites and will allow food deliveries to supermarkets over more time periods.

Vaccinated people over the age of 70 will receive booster jabs from September to protect them from new coronavirus variants, the vaccines minister has said.

Nadhim Zahawi, the minister for Covid vaccine deployment, told The Telegraph that the vaccine rollout will see some people being given three doses within the first 10 months of the jabs being administered to the British public.

Those in the top four priority groups of the vaccine rollout so far will also receive the first booster shots, including those aged over 70, frontline NHS staff, social care workers and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

Mr Zahawi told the newspaper the “most likely date” for booster jabs would be September, adding that England’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, believes that if the country is “going to see a requirement for a booster jab to protect the most vulnerable”, it would be around then.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of the pandemic.