France and Germany could join Spain on quarantine list
FEARS are growing that France and Germany could join Spain on the UK’S quarantine list, as the Government warned it would take similar quick decisions in response to Covid spikes.
A Daily Telegraph analysis reveals that most countries on the Government’s list of “safe” holiday destinations have, like Spain, seen Covid-19 incidence rates rise sharply in the past week to post-lockdown peaks.
Senior ministers in France and Germany both warned yesterday of possible new lockdowns as they fear second waves of Covid-19.
Travel industry chiefs said reimposing quarantine on Spain could “kill off ” foreign summer holidays as more families decide against going abroad at all because of the risk of unplanned selfisolation with the schools also due to return in just over a month.
Some 1.5 million British holidaymakers, either in Spain now or about to go, have been caught in the chaos with thousands of those in Spain unsure about what their insurance will cover and what they can claim back.
Yesterday the first British tourists returned from Spain to face two weeks in isolation, led by those who missed the cut-off point by a matter of hours. The quarantine, announced just six hours before it took effect, even caught out Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, who is in Spain for his summer break.
Government sources said the size of the Spanish holiday market and “significant increases” in Covid-19 cases in 15 of Spain’s 19 regions had left ministers with no option but to reimpose quarantine to the fury of trapped holidaymakers.
A senior government source said: “It’s a fast-moving situation and what has happened with Spain has shown that wherever there are data changes we will act quickly and change the travel advice immediately.
“So, it’s fair to say other countries could go back on the quarantine list. You can see the evidence of where spikes are happening and that does tend to be reflected in the travel advice.”
Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said the Government could “not make apologies” for its decision on Saturday even though it reversed an announcement by Mr Shapps just 24 hours earlier which maintained the Spanish exemption from quarantine.
Mr Raab warned that other nations could have quarantine reimposed, adding: “There is an element of uncertainty this summer.”
The Telegraph analysis shows France’s rate has jumped 50 per cent in a week from six to nine cases per
100,000 of the population, with 1,130 new cases on Saturday, double the previous week’s rate. Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Gibraltar, Italy, Monaco and Australia also saw incidence rates rise in the past week to post-lockdown peaks.
Two countries – the Bahamas and Luxembourg – have risen to higher rates per 100,000 than Spain.
Prime Minister Jean Castex, of France, raised the possibility of a second lockdown as the health minister warned bars may be closed if cases continue to rise. Mr Castex said a national lockdown could not be ruled out, but said the Government’s priority was “prevention” and local lockdowns would be imposed in areas where infections surge.
Michael Kretschmer, the premier in the German state of Saxony, said: “The second wave of coronavirus is already here. It is taking place every day.”
Germany’s reproduction (R) rate, the key metric which determines how the virus is spreading through the community, rose above 1 to 1.08 on Saturday, up from 0.93 on Thursday. Health authorities said the new cases could be traced to large celebrations and gatherings and returning travellers.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency and spokesman for Quash Quarantine, said: “Quarantine kills travel. The reintroduction of quarantine measures is putting fear into people and means they abandon their plans and hunker down.
“The loss of confidence is a real hammer blow and the nail in the coffin for so many businesses. Further spikes across Europe will lead to wider quarantine measures.
“This is why we have to get away from quarantine being the answer. It isn’t. The answer is ramping up airport testing, temperature checks and test and trace.”