Test on arrival to get Britain moving again

After another week of chaos, it’s clear the Government’s quarantine policy isn’t working. Travel bans have left holidaymakers disappointed and the industry in peril. We’re putting our weight behind a new approach, writes Greg Dickinson – based on what you

Once again, the Government’s quarantine policy came under the spotlight this week. Cases in Portugal crept above the Government’s quarantine threshold, sparking an exodus among British holidaymakers pre-empting an impending travel ban. Yet on Thursday evening, Grant Shapps revealed that Portugal would keep its travel corridor. It seemed the exodus was in vain – although the devolved administrations of Wales and Scotland took a different view later that night.

The public has reached the end of its tether with the Government’s unpredictable travel policy – it is time for another way forward.

As a result of what you have told us, Telegraph Travel has launched Test4Travel – a campaign urging the Government to roll out affordable Covid-19 tests on arrivals at all UK airports and ports by Christmas.

Exclusive survey data compiled for Telegraph Travel by travel consultancy The PC Agency and independent market research company AudienceNet, polling 2,139 respondents, show that 62 per cent of the population supports a test on arrivals in the UK over a 14-day quarantine, and more than half would be willing to cover the costs of a test.

Of those who have an opinion, nearly three quarters (73 per cent) would prefer a two-part test (with five days of self-quarantine in between) above the 14-day mandatory quarantine that is currently in force.

This tallies with what you, our Telegraph Travel readers, have told us. In a Twitter poll last week, 92 per cent of you wanted testing introduced at airports to remove the need for quarantine – and the majority of you said you would be happy to pay.

With support from airport chiefs, health professionals, MPs and with this new positive polling, The Daily Telegraph urges the Government to test all arrivals on entry to Britain in order to drop the current, ineffective quarantine. We believe this testing regime will save the travel industry, help revive the tourism economy and restore the nation’s faith in our holidays, in a way that will better contain the spread of Covid-19.

“This has got to be the

way forward; this random, unenforceable quarantine regime is only harming the economy further and has no discernible impact on preventing Covid-19 infections in

the UK.”

NEW POLICY NEEDED

We have launched Test4Travel because the Government’s current “travel corridors” policy is broken. This week, with the Portugal debacle, we have seen the starkest evidence yet that the unpredictable process of adding and removing countries from the UK’s travel corridor list is throwing holidays into disarray.

In the case of France, Spain and Croatia, which have all had travel corridors removed, the Government’s knee-jerk quarantine policy has caused panic and disappointment, sometimes at significant expense. Many have lost money on forthcom- ing, non-refundable bookings. From what you have told us, it seems that a high percentage of holidaymakers would welcome a small additional fee to take a test, rather than face this potential financial fallout.

But exactly how much would it cost? Experts put the cost of “lab in a box” Lamp tests at around £36 to the consumer, and our polling data shows this would be well within the realms of what Telegraph readers deem to be acceptable on top of holiday costs.

According to our Twitter poll, asking how much people would be prepared to pay to take tests to avoid quarantine, 41 per cent said they would pay up to £50, 19 per cent would pay up to £100, and 19 per cent would pay up to £150.

Across the wider general public, 52 per cent would be prepared to pay a minimum of £50 for a test, if it meant they could avoid a quarantine, according to data from PC Agency and AudienceNet. Of those 52 per cent, 38 per cent would pay up to £50, 10 per

Tests or quarantine?

cent would pay up to £100, and four per cent would pay up to £150.

Speaking out against the Government’s quarantine policy, Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways’ parent company IAG, said: “The Government is using arbitrary statistics to effectively ban 160 countries and in the process destroying the economy. It needs to introduce a testing regime to restore confidence.”

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the travel industry has seen the sad loss of behemoths including STA Travel and Britain’s leading domestic airline, Flybe. Hays Travel, now the UK’s top high street travel agent, has had to cut a fifth of its workforce, while British Airways is looking to slash 12,000 jobs.

We are also witnessing a catastrophic slump in inbound travel. In 2018, tourism contributed £218 billion to the UK’s GDP. That number will be more than halved in 2020, with tourist visits expected to drop by 59 per cent to 16.9million visits, down from 40.9million last year. According to Statista, this amounts to a loss of around £60million per day.

The enduring economic impact of halting business travel is significant, too, with routes between Britain and financial hubs such as Singapore and

“Effective test and trace makes perfect sense to me.

On current form, this is unlikely to be implemented unless your campaign is successful. Good luck.”

New York indefinitely cordoned off. As a knock-on-effect, London’s top hotels, usually filled with business travellers, are currently working at an occupancy rate of just five to 10 per cent.

There are also serious question marks over the effectiveness of the Passenger Locator Form, currently used to enforce quarantine on arrivals. The police have revealed they have only enforced three £100 fines for those breaking quarantine, in two months. What’s more, we have seen a revealing case study this week in how the system fails to contain the spread of the virus at all.

Health officials failed to contact more than 200 British holidaymakers who were on a flight from Crete to London Luton last week, after eight passengers tested positive for Covid-19. Wizz Air said it was only alerted to the cases by the media, meaning some passengers remained uncontacted for a whole week.

Paul Charles, the CEO of PC Agency, said: “If speedy UK airport arrival testing were in place, combined with a second test five days later, then I’m sure health authorities would have picked up the majority, if not all cases, promptly.

“The Government should implement airport testing now, as over 30 other countries have already done.”

“We are in Spain at the moment and would be very happy to be tested on our arrival back in the UK. The current testing facilities are under-used, so why not divert some of the staff from those to ports and

airports?”

So what would a testing regime look like? Dr Charlie Easmon, of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told Telegraph Travel: “Testing is the best solution because it is rooted in science. It is accurate, fast, simple and non-invasive – qualities which the current quarantine system is not.

“Instead we should have an efficient system that runs as follows: first, test on arrival (at the airport, for example). This also ensures that we have the personal data in terms of name, contact details and place of residence. Then, those found positive would be told to isolate for 14 days and tracked for any severity of illness.

“Those found negative would be informed that they could still be incubating the disease and need another test five days later. Only once the second test is done can they be fully given the all-clear.”

While the technology is already there for what is known as a Lamp test, with 40-minute results, Heathrow is now working with Oxford and Manchester universities to develop a test with results in just 20 seconds. John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow Airport, said: “Testing is the lifeline that the UK’s aviation sector needs to get back on its feet. We’ve put some of the most cutting-edge rapid testing technologies into action at Heathrow to see which offers the best solution.

“If we can find a test that is accurate, gets a result within minutes, is cost-effective and gets the Government green light, we could have the potential to introduce wide-scale testing at the airport. Without this, our first class aviation sector risks becoming second class, giving Britain’s competitive advantage to others.”

It is not just the travel industry pushing for airport testing. Last week, a group of 80 MPs wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him to end quarantine and introduce airport testing on arrivals to get business moving.

BRITAIN LEFT BEHIND

The MPs, including 40 Conservatives, warned Britain is at risk of being left behind as more than 30 countries, including Germany, have already introduced testing to free from quarantine business and leisure travellers arriving from “red list” countries.

Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, told Telegraph Travel: “We need to be testing people arriving into the UK on arrival, as this would hugely cut quarantine numbers and time. The current system is unworkable and causing unnecessary anxiety among consumers.

“The financial and mental implications for those being forced to choose between obeying the quarantine rules and going out to work should not be overlooked and testing would decrease those pressures.”

So in the interests of you, our globe-trotting readers – and led by what you told us – we urge the Government to introduce rapid testing on arrival at all UK airports, ferry ports, and at Eurostar terminals, followed by another confirmatory test five days later, minimising quarantine to a short, advisory isolation. Those with a positive test would, of course, be tracked, and instructed to quarantine for two weeks.

As a longer term measure, we support the development of multilateral testing arrangements with other countries, allowing for rapid testing before departure to create Covid-free airports and “green flights” – widely believed to be the most effective way of preventing the spread of Covid-19, and something Britain could help lead globally alongside the WHO.

If you agree with Test4Travel, we ask you to throw your weight behind our campaign. Write to your local MP, spread the word on social media. Let us grow this groundswell of public opinion in favour of testing, and show the Government it is the best way forward to reboot our holidays, while minimising the risk to public health.