Airport chiefs hit out at ‘ turbulent’ plans to quarantine travellers
THE boss of Glasgow Airport has hit out at ministers for “overseeing t he demise of UK av iat ion ” a m id f u r t h e r restrictions for passengers.
Derek Provan, chief executive of ASG which runs also runs Aberdeen Airport, said the sector was experiencing more job cuts amid the pandemic than seen in the coal industry in the 1980s.
“That’s surely not an accolade any government would like to have,” he said
He joined pleas of other industry bosses to call for airport testing.
“We have got an industry they’re stating is open, but actually it’s closed,” he added.
Rising coronavirus cases in Greece prompted the Scottish Government to introduce quarantine restrictions on passengers travelling from the country to Scotland.
But the 14- day self- isolation move has been criticised by travel agents.
Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, urged Deputy First Minister John Swinney to review his decision to impose quarantine on thousands of Scots holidaymakers travelling from Greece.
She said the action was “disproportionate”, and asked for transparency from Mr Swinney on the number and origin of cases to explain why the whole of Greece had been targeted.
Ms Dobson said: “Once again, Scottish holidaymakers are faced with a disjointed approach and a decision that is out of step with the rest of the UK.
“It is a conflicting and confusing message for those due to travel.
“I would like to ask Mr Swinney for transparency regarding the figures of contracted cases coming from Greece to Scotland.
“We so far only heard about one confirmed case from Zante.
“At the moment, it appears that the blanket quarantine approach to Greece is disproportionate and excessive. Greece is well below the 20 cases per 100,000 threshold that the UK governments use as a guide for imposing quarantine restrictions on returning travellers. And the rise in cases, as the Welsh Government have indicated, has been linked to the island of Zante.
“We would ask Mr Swinney to reflect on his decision and start to engage openly and transparently with the travel industry and holidaymakers so we can all make informed decisions about travel plans.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman told BBC Radio Scotland yesterday the policy is currently the most effective method in controlling the rise of infections from people entering the UK.
She added quarantine remain under review. would