HOKEY COKEY TRAVEL CHAOS
BRITS LEFT IN LIMBO BY LATEST TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGES
THOUSANDS of UK holidaymakers were left scrambling to leave Mexico as soon as they landed – after the government put it on the travel red alert list while many were still in the air.
The turnaround meant, unless they get back by 4am on Sunday, they must pay to spend ten days in quarantine at an approved hotel on their return.
And many faced a double blow as the cost of the enforced stay for a typical family-of-four with two teens is to leap 78 per cent from £3,700 to £6,575.
The move came as Mexico, where 242,000 people have died, suffered its biggest daily rise in cases since January to more than 20,000. In Mexico City, just-married Londoner Joe Coward, 29, said: ‘We touched down to find our two-week honeymoon, which had already been rearranged several times, was going to be a two-day visit.
‘We’re extremely angry at the Government’s incompetent handling of
international travel rules, and sad and frustrated that time we should spend enjoying being newlyweds is ruined.’
Others struggled to find flights home, which can cost up to £6,900.
Office manager David Hing, on holiday with his wife and their children aged four and seven, said: ‘It’s like a bad dream. I’ve been up all night looking at alternative options. It broke my heart when my two little ones said they’d lend us money if we needed it.’
Holidaymaker Claire, 30, of south London, read rules were changing on her flight. ‘It’s crazy the lack of notice,’ she said. ‘I could see all these families looking forward to a holiday and it was obvious they didn’t know.’
In Cancun, NHS worker
Ayo Faley, 24, was ‘absolutely distraught’ but will pay to quarantine. ‘I only found out the minute I was able to connect to wi-fi at the airport,’ she said. ‘I went into a state of panic. ‘You could see the look of confusion, fear and regret in people’s faces leaving the UK thinking their country of destination was safe, to then land and find out they’d better return ASAP or risk being stuck in a hotel for ten days. ‘I’ve decided to stay and enjoy my time here then face the consequences.’ New dad Aaron, 43, is relocating his Mexican wife and their baby Aviv to Edinburgh. The self-employed data engineer had flown out for the birth but ‘can’t quantify’ how much quarantining them all will cost his business. ‘I have previously taken out a bounce back loan to keep afloat,’ he said. ‘I’ve no idea why I should have to pay to isolate in a hotel when I’ve had both jabs, took a test on my way here and will take one on arrival in Scotland.’ Travel industry spokesman Paul Charles warned there were not enough flights to get the estimated 6,000 Brits home in time anyway.
And Rory Boland of Which? warned: ‘Some holidaymakers whose countries have now been placed in the red category will find their airline or tour operator is unwilling to give them a refund.’
Transport secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) said the cost of hotel quarantine was going up – from £1,750 to £2,285 for solo travellers, and from £650 to £1,430 for additional adults – on August 12 to cover a £75million shortfall, adding: ‘We’re keen to ensure people using them cover the whole cost.’
He insisted people could now book holidays ‘without looking over their shoulders’ with no more changes expected for three weeks.
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Almost on a daily basis we’ve had a changing system, changing colours, U-turns left, right and centre. We’ve been saying since the beginning of the summer: have a simplified system.’
Tour firms reported a surge in bookings after restrictions ended on fully vaccinated returners from France, India, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.
Prime minister Boris Johnson insisted last night: ‘We understand how important people’s holidays are.’ But added: ‘You’ve got to balance our very strong desire to get people travelling with the need to protect us against new variants.’