Couple who beat 14- day quarantine by 2 minutes!
As Brits in France dash home on bikes, f ishing boats, and by the skin of their teeth
AS HIS Jaguar E-Pace rolled off the ferry at Newhaven at 3.58am, Bernard Rust breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself a wry smile.
With just two minutes to spare, he had beaten the 4am deadline after which all new arrivals from France are forced to quarantine at home for two weeks.
The financial adviser and his partner, Sarah Holloway, from East Sussex, were among tens of thousands of Britons who raced through the night – on ferries, trains, chartered planes and even fishing boats – to avoid rules announced at short notice on Thursday evening.
The 11th-hour move to include France on the UK’s quarantine list sparked chaos for 160,000 British holidaymakers i n the country. For those who cannot afford to spend 14 days isolating at home, it prompted a mad dash for the exit to be back in Britain before the early morning deadline.
Mr Rust, 60, who had stayed in La Rochelle for a week, said it was fortunate that he was already booked to return on the ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven, which got back just in the nick of time.
He added: ‘We knew it was scheduled to get back at 4am but what if we were delayed by a minute? I called the Government’s Covid hotline and asked them what does being in the UK mean – does it mean being in UK waters? They said it means “when I’m in the UK region”. They didn’t seem to have a satisfactory answer and they didn’t put our minds at ease.’
After calling other ferry firms to try to get an earlier crossing – and finding them fully booked – Mr Rust went ahead with his booking. He said: ‘Normally I try and get a couple of hours’ sleep, but there was no chance. I kept going up to the top deck to see if I could see land and finally I could see Newhaven harbour at 3.30am. I thought, “Blimey, we’re going to make it”.’
A group of musicians also beat the France quarantine rules with just ten minutes to spare after chartering a fishing boat to get them back to the UK. After a performance in Lessay Abbey, Normandy, on Friday night, eight members of the Scotland- based Dunedin Consort arrived at Hayling Island in Hampshire at 3.50am. ‘We looked into ferries, the Eurotunnel, flights, even chartering a private jet — you name it, we tried it, but we couldn’t find any way of doing the concert and getting home before the quarantine curfew,’ said Jo Buckley, the Dunedin Consort’s chief executive.
But thousands missed the deadline. Alexis Walmsley, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, missed the last Eurostar train from Paris to London and must now quarantine for the next 14 days with her disabled son after her train from Avignon to Paris was delayed in Lyon. She said her son ‘won’t understand quarantine’ and the family ‘ don’t even know where we will sleep tonight’.
At St Pancras Station at 9am yesterday, a dejected IT worker who gave his name as Dmitri, from London, said: ‘I had been in Paris visiting a now ex- girlfriend. I wanted to come back yesterday but I couldn’t get a ticket. My ticket today was double the price.’
However, some people were still making their way to France, despite the new rules. IT worker John Kweku, from London, said: ‘The quarantine is the right thing. I’ll be coming back in a week, and I’ll be quarantining. I work from home so that’s fine.’ Antoine, a finance worker from London, said: ‘I don’t particularly like the idea of having to quarantine but I understand why they are doing it. I am due to be back in ten days, but I might stay for longer. Either way, I can work remotely.’
The quarantine rules also apply to the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, t he Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba amid concerns about a rising numbers of Covid cases. The captain of a North Sea ferry back from the Netherlands ordered full speed ahead from the Hook of Holland to Harwich, cutting three hours off the 120-mile crossing to arrive back by 3.45am.
Mum Rachel Fortnum-Adams, 47, from Ipswich, who had paid £300 to get her 13-year-old son Joseph and his friends home from a table tennis competition in the Netherlands, said: ‘ It was great to see them coming out of the terminal. I am one very relieved mum.’
There were signs of retaliation against the Government’s move last night. Dutch authorities warned against ‘all but essential travel’ to Britain, and France has indicated it may ‘reciprocate’ with similar measures, meaning Britons would need six weeks off just to enjoy two weeks of holiday – i ncluding two weeks’ quarantine in France followed by another fortnight in Britain after their trip.
French officials are frustrated that the UK made its decision to quarantine arrivals from the whole of France when many areas – particularly on the west and north coast – have low infection rates.
UK officials said Britain saw 1,012 confirmed cases of coronavirus yesterday and three deaths, bringing the toll to 41,361 people.
‘I thought, “Blimey, we’re going to make it” ’