Britons back from Spain being forced to quarantine
Uptick in cases linked to popular holiday spot has U.K. scrambling
LONDON— Often criticized for a slow response to the coronavirus, the British government moved quickly this weekend to impose a quarantine on anyone arriving from Spain, after a spike in COVID-19 cases there.
But this time speed brought disarray to thousands of Britons, blindsiding those who have already gone to Spain and embarrassing Britain’s transportation secretary, Grant Shapps. He is responsible for aviation policy, but learned of the quarantine while on his own vacation. In Spain. The abrupt decision means that Shapps and others who left Britain assuming that they could return without restrictions will be required to isolate themselves for 14 days.
Many who were about to depart Britain have been forced to rethink their plans. Some flights to Spain were cancelled. And even those planning to head elsewhere were reminded that quarantine rules can change overnight.
Britain’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said the decision had been made after a review of data received Friday that showed a large jump in Spanish cases.
“We took the decision as swiftly as we could,” Raab told Sky News.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government moved only recently to lift restrictions on those hoping for summer vacations abroad. Now the Foreign Office urges Britons to avoid all non-essential travel to mainland Spain, although it says it is “not advising those already travelling in Spain to leave at this time.”
As a result, Britain’s biggest tour operator, Tui, said it was cancelling all its vacations to mainland Spain until Aug. 9, although several airlines, including British Airways, were still offering flights. Airline officials expressed the frustration of a devastated sector, however.
“This is, sadly, yet another blow for British holidaymakers and cannot fail to have an impact on an already troubled aviation industry,” British Airways said in a statement, adding that the change was “throwing thousands of Britons’ travel plans into chaos.”
For some of those still hoping to enjoy some Spanish sun, the viability of their vacations could depend on their employers’ willingness to let them stay at home for 14 days after their return.
“The government’s policy regarding travel restrictions has lacked grip and coherence from the outset,” said Nick ThomasSymonds, who speaks on home affairs issues for the opposition Labour Party. “This latest decision-making process regarding Spain and the short notice for travellers has created a sense of panic and loss of control.”
Britons normally make up around one-fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, and the Spanish foreign minister called Sunday for Britain to exclude at least Spain’s two archipelagoes — the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands — from its quarantine order. Both are major British tourist destinations and have had low COVID-19 caseloads throughout the epidemic.
From a high of about 8,000 confirmed new infections per day in early April, Spain dropped below 300 early this month.
But in the past week, the daily average has topped 1,700 — as many as Britain, France and Italy combined — and, as in many places, experts say the real figure is higher, with many cases going undetected.