CORONA PASSPORT TO SAVE HOLIDAYS

Hope for Britons in new quarantine regime

VIRUS passports and travel corridors could allow families to travel abroad this summer.

A quarantine regime will be introduced on June 8 requiring arrivals to the UK to self-isolate for 14 days. But ministers hope to strike quarantine-free pacts with summer destinations

– such as france, Spain and Greece – by August and possibly July.

They are also examining the idea of ‘Covid passports’ to let those who have had the disease travel more widely and without having to go into

quarantine on their return. The new border regime will apply to almost all arrivals, including incoming Britons. Rule breakers face fines of £1,000.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said quarantine was vital to prevent new cases of coronavirus arriving.

But the policy was criticised by the aviation and tourism sectors, the wider business community and even some Tory MPs.

They questioned why the restrictions were not introduced in February and March when the virus was coming into the country from China, Italy and Spain.

Limited quarantine exemptions will be allowed for truck drivers, seasonal fruit pickers and a small number of essential workers.

In Scotland, ministers have still not introduced regulations to enforce the quarantine – and are facing a race against time to get them through Holyrood by June 8.

However, it is thought fines could be softer here than they would be south of the Border.

During discussions with UK Government officials, the Scottish

Government has indicated that the penalties are likely to be set at the same rate as fines issued for those breaching social distancing rules – which are £30 in Scotland, rising to £60 if not paid within 28 days.

As Scotland’s lockdown moves beyond the two-month mark today:

Official figures showed the coronavirus infection rate is now the same in Scotland as the rest of the UK;

Trade unions cast doubt on whether schools will be able to reopen as planned on August 11;

It emerged holidaymakers could lose refunds as airlines press ahead with plans to restart flights;

Police chiefs confirmed that 2,851 fines have been issued in Scotland for people who have broken lockdown rules;

The public sector was urged by the First Minister to ‘show leadership’ by working to introduce a four-day week;

Scotland saw 24 more deaths yesterday, bringing the total to 2,245;

Experts warned one in ten care homes could go bust under the pressures of coronavirus;

The NHS’s top obesity and diabetes doctor told the Mail that Britons were likely to have piled on the pounds while they have been ‘stuck indoors’ during lockdown;

Figures showed borrowing hit £62billion last month – almost as much as the whole of last year.

Tim Alderslade, of the industry group Airlines UK, said: ‘All a blanket quarantine will do is shut down aviation and the travel industry.

‘We need to be much more targeted and risk-based, opening up travel corridors with low-risk countries that more effectively achieves our public health objectives while enabling people to get away.’

Adam Marshall, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said blanket restrictions would ‘damage international business and investor confidence at a time when it is vital to demonstrate that the UK can open for business safely’.

Whitehall sources claimed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had fought to keep alive the idea of air bridges and travel corridors, initially resisted by Miss Patel.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing last night, Miss Patel said the advice was not to book holidays now.

But Mr Shapps has already set up a working group to consider how travel corridors could be established in time for the summer break.

Ministers are also examining whether those who have had coronavirus could be exempted from quarantine. Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed on Thursday that Britain has purchased 10million antibody tests that can tell whether an individual has had the virus.

A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents said quarantine would ‘have a hugely damaging impact on the UK inbound and outbound tourism industries’.

A spokesman for Ryanair said the airline was ‘strongly opposed to ineffective non scientific measures’.

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