Law breach alert over care homes
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THE care home crisis could have breached the Human Rights Act, the Scottish Human Rights Commission has claimed.
Official statistics show more than 1400 Covid-related deaths – or 45 per cent – have been in care homes.
An SHRC spokesman said: “Human rights law is clear that everyone’s right to life must be protected by law and the state has a duty to take action when threats to life occur.
“The state has an obligation to undertake an investigation when life has been lost in circumstances that potentially engage state responsibility under Article 2.”
The SHRC welcomed the decision to launch a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.
AIR bridges that let Brits go abroad without quarantining are to be unveiled within a fortnight.
The idea, once seen as pie in the sky, is to become reality, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has revealed.
Shapps said the Government is “actively working” on deals enabling Brits to fly to nations and return home with no restrictions.
The minister said: “We won’t be in a position to announce which countries – where reciprocal arrangements go in place – until the 29th.
“So don’t expect anything this week… I think I’m right in saying it’s only the end of next week.”
June 29 is the date that has been set for the Government’s first review of its controversial quarantine policy, which came into force last week.
The scheme means most international travellers arriving in the UK go into self-isolation for 14 days.
But while Mr Shapps appears confident that the UK can agree a deal with low-risk countries, the Government’s continual U-turns have left families facing confusion over which states will welcome them and whether travel insurance will be valid.
With a complicated patchwork of sanctions across Europe, tens of thousands are still waiting for refunds from holidays cancelled as a result of the pandemic and there is no sign of the Foreign Office lifting its blanket ban on non-essential travel.
Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Croatia, Italy and Switzerland have reopened borders with no quarantine requirements for Brits.
But the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Malta and Denmark are no-go areas.
Spain, meanwhile, announced it was throwing open its doors to a string of nations including the UK from Sunday but questions remain over whether Brits would be forced to go into two weeks of self-isolation on entry. Britain’s biggest tour operator TUI said all holidays until July 10 had been cancelled. A spokesman for the firm added:
“We’re being really flexible allowing customers with bookings due to depart up until August 31 to amend to another date free of charge.
“We expect different destinations to open up at different times, with the Balearics, Greece and Cyprus looking likely to welcome tourists back first.”
A spokesman for travel body ABTA welcomed the air bridges plan.
But the Association of British
Insurers said travel insurance would be invalid until the Foreign Office lifted its ban on non-essential travel.
Budget carrier Ryanair sparked air wars, with seats at £29.99 for destinations including Portugal and Spain.
It had 250,000 seats up for grabs, releasing 1,000 a day, but the sale ends tonight at 9pm for flights from July 1.
Tourists are warned some destinations such as Malta and Greece are
not open to UK passport holders. The £6billion-a-year staycation market is proving equally complex, with caravan parks and campsites in the dark over when they will reopen.
Unlike in the retail sector, site bosses have not been given criteria they must meet before reopening.
Martin Smith, founder of campsites.co.uk, said: “Although July 4 is the date we’re all working to currently, most sites would prefer to open a day earlier as weekend campers tend to prefer Friday arrivals.”
The Camping and Caravanning Club said it was awaiting confirmation of a reopening date but revealed some sites would have to forfeit loos and showers.
Site owners are hoping a kitemark safety scheme to be unveiled by and the AA will help reassure visitors that parks are safe. While the industry awaits the green light, the RNLI revealed it was boosting the number of lifeguards on beaches ahead of what it thinks will be the “busiest summer ever”.
During the early stages of lockdown being eased, only 18 of the 248 beaches around Britain normally covered had lifeguards, with swimmers urged to be extra cautious. But by this weekend the RNLI is hoping 80 beaches in England, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands will be covered, with 170 expected to be patrolled by early July.
Mark Dowie, the RNLI’s chief executive, said: “With schools closed and restrictions on foreign travel, we know people will be heading to UK beaches – this could be the busiest summer ever for our lifeboat crews.”