A SUMMER OF TOTAL CHAOS
Fears other countries will join Spain as quarantine destinations
TRAVELLERS were last night warned they face a ‘summer of uncertainty’, as ministers admitted that the Spanish quarantine ruling could be extended to other holiday destinations.
The shock decision to order holidaymakers returning from Spain to quarantine for 14 days on their return has wrecked travel plans of millions and triggered confusion over refunds.
Many face being unable to travel and some will have no recourse to compensation.
The decision announced on Saturday evening by Westminster and the devolved administrations to take Spain off the ‘safe list’ of quarantine-free destinations followed a surge in cases last week.
It came only five days after the Scottish Government gave breaks to Spain or its islands the green light.
Around 4,000 passengers have flown to Spanish destinations from Edinburgh Airport since restrictions were lifted last Monday. Several hundred more have travelled from Glasgow in the past four days.
Government sources said there were ‘no immediate plans’ to impose quarantine restrictions on other destinations. But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab refused to rule out further clampdowns this summer. Belgium and Croatia are said to be of greatest concern.
The decision will hit an estimated 2.2million people who have holiday or flight bookings, with their rights to a refund mired in confusion.
This is because the Government has decided to treat travel to mainland Spain differently to the Balearic Islands, such as Majorca, and The Canaries, including Tenerife.
It is this official advice that governs a traveller’s legal right to a refund. And the situation is further complicated by the fact that refund rights are different for package holidays versus trips that people put together themselves.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain – but this does not apply to the Balearic and Canary Islands.
Package holiday giant TUI cancelled holidays but airlines such as British Airways, Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 said their flights would continue. In these circumstances, the best travellers can hope for is the offer of a voucher.
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: ‘The situation that occurred cannot be the best way to manage this – little or no notice to passengers and airports causes distress and operational chaos.’
Derek Provan, chief executive of AGS Airports, which owns Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, said: ‘Whilst we understand that public safety must always come first, the resumption of blanket quarantine measures for those travelling to Spain is a hammer blow and could not come at a worst time.’
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to urge her to publish the science that sparked the decision.
He said: ‘This is now a shambolic situation and there is a big question as to how Scottish ministers have made such poor quality decisions.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our overriding priority is public safety and continuing to suppress the virus. Where evidence emerges that causes concern – as it has done in Spain – we must act quickly.’