Calls growing for quarantine U-turn
MORE than 200 travel and hospitality businesses have joined a campaign urging the Government to overturn its planned 14-day quarantine for arrivals into the UK.
The group of major hotels, travel companies and restaurateurs claim the policy is “unworkable” and have endorsed a letter sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel.
They are calling for air bridges to be created which enable people to travel – without being quarantined – between countries where the risk of being infected by coronavirus is deemed to be low.
Current plans would mean all international arrivals – apart from those who are carrying out a limited number of specified roles – would need to self-isolate for 14 days from June 8.
George Morgan-Grenville, chief executive of tour operator Red Savannah, who is leading the campaign by travel and hospitality firms opposed to the measures, said: “This is not just a group of company bosses complaining, but employees from bottom to top calling for the quarantine plans to be quashed.
“The extent of their pain is deeply worrying for our economy and our country as a whole.”
Seventy-five businesses signed the letter to Ms Patel last week, but it has now been endorsed by more than 200 as concern about the impact of the quarantine grows.
Firms which support the campaign include London hotels the Ritz and the Dorchester, travel firms Kuoni and Inghams, and chef Jason Atherton.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph reported more than 20 Tory MPs are also demanding the Government changes its quarantine plan.
Transport Select Committee chairman Huw Merriman called for the blanket rule to be “ditched” in favour of other measures such as “air-bridges, compulsory PPE and temperature testing at airports”.
Former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers also gave her backing for the scheme to be altered, telling BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour: “I would very much prefer the quarantine rules be targeted on flights from Covid hotspots.
“I think we really do need to find ways to ease travel between this country and other countries like Italy, Spain and France where not only are there important business connections but people do desperately want to be able to take their summer holiday.”
The debate comes on the day Northern Ireland announced hotels can reopen from July 20 as long as the rate of infection is under control.
A tourism steering group will be asked to work with the sector to explore what facilities and amenities can safely be made available by hotels, and recommendations will be brought to Northern Ireland’s Executive in due course.