Quarantine backlash

The UK is reportedly facing a backlash from European nations over its planned quarantine on visitors entering the country.

France, Germany, Greece and Spain will place restrictions on British visitors entering their countries as they reopen from lockdowns unless the UK scraps its quarantine or its coronavirus infection rates fall, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is calling on EU member states to lift all border checks within the bloc by the end of June, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told Euronews.

French tourism minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said his country would impose a 14-day quarantine on UK visitors if Britain proceeds with its quarantine plan on

Monday according to the Daily Telegraph, although he added France plans to open its borders to other EU nations on June 15.

Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas will be “strongly advising” against travel to Britain – just as his country lifts its travel restrictions for 30 other European nationalities from June 15.

His Greek counterpart Haris Theoharis was quoted as saying as long as Britain’s coronavirus rate remained comparatively high, travellers from most UK airports faced mandatory tests for Covid-19 and quarantine of seven days even if they were found to be clear of the virus.

And Spain said the right of entry would partly depend on a country’s “epidemiological situation”.