Don't travel over the millennium period, warns Taskforce 2000

As the Foreign Office and the US State Department published information on Y2K readiness gathered from around the world, millennium watchdog Taskforce 2000 warned against travel to destinations outside the UK for about five weeks around the date change.

The official information is acknowledged to be unreliable.

Taskforce 2000 says that putting faith in such information is a mistake. "Even in the UK, we only have assurances and not verifiable information about the country's infrastructure," says executive director Robin Guenier. "So how can we possibly be certain of self-certified information from elsewhere?"

Guenier is advising people not to travel unless absolutely essential for a period of five weeks, beginning a week before the date change through to the 31st January 2000.

"We do not offer this advice lightly," he added. "Our concern is that the Y2K problem creates potential for extreme inconvenience and disruption around the world. Therefore the risks and dangers that may be a consequence are, on balance, not worth taking."

Further information is available on the Taskforce 2000 website:

http://www.taskforce2000.co.uk

Elliott Chase