Visit France and face up to 28 days of quarantine, Britons told

‘Reciprocal’ measures cement MPS’ opposition to limiting travel

FRANCE is set to reimpose a 14-day quarantine on Britons arriving in the country within days, effectively killing off any cross-channel leisure or business travel.

The move will mean that anyone arriving in France will have to self-isolate, probably for 14 days, before having to spend a further 14 days in quarantine if they then return to the UK.

“We will have a measure called reciprocity so that our British friends do not close the border in one single way,” said Clement Beaune, French junior European affairs minister.

“For travellers returning from the United Kingdom, there will probably be restrictive measures decided in the next few days by the Prime Minister and by the Defence Council.”

The move follows Britain’s reimposition of quarantine on arrivals from France on August 15, sparking an exodus of thousands of the 300,000 holidaying in the country as they sought to beat the 4am deadline after which they would have to self-isolate.

It came as a group of 80 MPS wrote to Boris Johnson urging him to end quarantine and introduce airport testing to get business moving. The MPS, including 40 Tories, have warned Britain is at risk of being left behind as more than 30 countries including major competitors like Germany have already introduced testing to free business and leisure travel from quarantine from “red list” countries.

In a report setting out a 10-point plan to revive the travel industry, the MPS said it was “imperative” for the Government to introduce testing as soon as possible so passengers from high-risk countries who tested negative were freed from quarantine early.

“Without testing, we risk not only limiting leisure travel but also damaging our aspirations for a truly global Britain,” said the Future of Aviation Group, which includes Graham Brady, chair man of the Tory 1922 committee, its founder Henry Smith, and Paul Maynard, ex-aviation minister.

“With many of our current and future trading partners currently subject to a 14-day quarantine we are sending precisely the wrong message at the wrong time.

“We know that many within the industry have been pushing for testing for a considerable time, with Heathrow Airport waiting

‘We risk also damaging our aspirations for a truly global Britain’

for Government approval to start a trial, which could begin as early as the end of this month.”

Ministers are later this month due to consider options which include tests on arrival in the UK with a second five or eight days later, enabling holidaymakers and business travellers to shorten their time in quarantine in the UK.

The Future of Aviation Group’s report, which has also been sent to Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, also called for regional corridors to low-risk islands like the Balearic and Canary islands which are part of quarantined Spain.

The report also cited the US as an example where the “restrictive” quarantine policy could damage relationships with a key trading partner.