Holiday-goers were no doubt worried by last night’s Mail splash, which claimed a new Nepalese variant is the latest threat to Brits’ travels abroad. Ministers, they report, fear the new strain hitting Europe and impacting holiday opportunities until August. Just one problem: the Nepal branch of the W.H.O has just announced they are “not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal”:

WHO is not aware of any new variant of SARS-CoV-2 being detected in Nepal. The 3⃣confirmed variants in circulation are: Alpha (B.1.1.7), Delta (B.1.617.2) and Kappa (B.1.617.1). The predominant variant currently in circulation in Nepal is Delta (B.1.617.2).@mohpnep @PandavRajesh

— WHO Nepal (@WHONepal) June 3, 2021

Given the respective institutions’ track records throughout the pandemic, Guido’s money is on the W.H.O. to be the ones most likely to backtrack from their current position…

The news comes as the government prepares to update the traffic light system for travel to foreign countries today. Embarrassingly, Portugal – the main green list holiday destination for Brits currently – is set to be knocked down to amber. In a separate piece, the Mail points the finger at “football fans” being the cause, who are feared to have fueled a surge in cases following the Champions League final at the weekend. If that’s the case it will be particularly embarrassing for one attendee – Michael Gove…