PM WARNS OF FURTHER COVID QUARANTINES
BORIS Johnson indicated that quarantine restrictions could be imposed on further European countries if a “second wave” of coronavirus hits the continent.
The Prime Minister already faces a diplomatic row with Spain after warning against all but essential travel to the country – and its resort islands – and insisting that travellers arriving in the UK from there spend a fortnight in quarantine due to an increase in cases.
He insisted the Government would not hesitate to act if flare-ups of coronavirus occurred in other destinations, as it also emerged that ministers are examining ways to declare regions of other nations safe for travel.
“I’m afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic,” the Prime Minister warned.
With holidaymakers already facing uncertainty over trips abroad this summer, Mr Johnson indicated further action could be considered by the Government.
“It’s vital that when people are coming back from abroad, if they are coming back from a place where I’m afraid there is another outbreak, they must go into quarantine,” he said.
“That’s why we have taken the action that we have and we will continue, throughout the summer, to take such action where it is necessary.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the restrictions on travel to the country as an “error”.
He pointed out that the upsurge in coronavirus cases is focused in two regions, Catalonia and Aragon, adding: “In most of Spain, the incidence is very much inferior to even the numbers registered in the United Kingdom.”
Madrid had been urging the UK to exclude the Canaries and Balearics – which include popular tourist resorts on Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca – from its quarantine requirements.
But instead, official travel advice was tightened to bring the islands in line with the Spanish mainland.
Transport minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton told the House of Lords yesterday that it is not yet possible to exempt regions from the quarantine, but said colleagues were examining how to allow this.
“For the time being, we are taking the approach by country for border measures, but it is the case that it could be that we put them in place for regions in the future,” she said.
“We are not there yet but we are certainly looking at it because it is an appropriate consideration.”
The move to reimpose the quarantine period dealt a further blow to the travel industry, which is already reeling after the lockdown.
Mr Johnson said it was up to individuals to decide whether they wanted to take the risk of travelling in the present circumstances.
“These are decisions for families, for individuals, about where they want to go,” he said.
The decision to impose quarantine restrictions was made after England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty reportedly told ministers that 10 Britons who tested positive for coronavirus after July 1 had reported visiting Spain in the 14 days before their test.
Mr Johnson said: “I’m afraid if we do see signs of a second wave in other countries, it is really our job, our duty, to act swiftly and decisively to stop... travellers coming back from those places seeding the disease here in the UK.”
Britons make up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies heavily on tourism, and Madrid has said the UK Government gave it no warning that the quarantine move was coming over the weekend.
Travel firm Tui UK cancelled all holidays to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) updated travel advice.
Tui’s decision runs up to and including Friday.
Holidays to Spain’s mainland were already cancelled from last Sunday up to and including Sunday, August 9.
The company said: “The UK Gov
ernment must work closely with the travel industry as this level of uncertainty and confusion is damaging for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a well-deserved break.”
Jet2 cancelled flights and holidays to the Balearic and Canary Islands until August 9, having already suspended them to mainland Spain until August 16, and asked the Government for clarity and consistency.
“We understand that this is a fastmoving situation, however the information we are receiving is contradictory and often comes with little or no notice,” the firm said.
“We want to provide customers, who work hard and save hard for their well-deserved holidays, with timely information and we need this from the Government. We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.”
Acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The Prime Minister is right... to warn that some countries face the possibility of a second wave of coronavirus. However, it is extremely worrying that he has not acknowledged or acted upon the risk of a second wave here in the UK.
“Yesterday, I met with families who had lost loved ones due to Covid-19. Many just want the Prime Minister to start an independent inquiry immediately, so that the Government does not make the same mistakes that cost so many lives earlier this year.”
In better news for travellers, five more countries were added to the quarantine exemption list yesterday – Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Meanwhile, no new coronavirus deaths have been recorded again by Public Health Wales (PHW) for the 13th time this month.
It means the total number of confirmed deaths by PHW since the outbreak began remains at 1,549.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean no-one died with the virus on those specific dates as it can take several days for a death to be logged officially.
Meanwhile, PHW said the number of lab-confirmed positive cases of coronavirus in Wales had increased by 21 to bring the total to 17,191.
Wrexham recorded the most positive cases with eight, followed by Flintshire with three and Denbighshire with two. Gwynedd, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, RCT, and Carmarthenshire all recorded one, while all other local authorities had no new cases.
Despite testing capacity standing at 15,000 each day in Wales, around a third of that total (5,009) took place on Monday.
Also yesterday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released its weekly update on coronavirus deaths in Wales.
Unlike PHW, these figures are described as the “true” death toll as they include all deaths where the virus was mentioned on a death certificate, and not just cases identified in a lab.
In total, it found that 2,501 had now died with coronavirus in Wales since July 17.
In the week ending July 17, there were only 11 registered deaths and none at all across the Aneurin Bevan, Hywel Dda or Powys health boards.
There were also no deaths in care homes from the virus for the first time in four months.
Both the latest figures were released following an announcement that a cluster of positive cases had been identified at a council-run traveller site in Welshpool.
Powys County Council has confirmed that a “number of residents” have tested positive for Covid-19 at Leighton Arches in the town.