Government mulls relaxing 14-day quarantine measures
The government is considering relaxing its blanket quarantine measures for incoming travellers to the UK, it was reported today.
Under the current proposals, all those who enter the UK after 8 June will have to quarantine for 14 days at a fixed location.
In England, there will be random spot checks and police will be able to impose fines of up to £1,000 if people do not follow the rules.
The plan has met with widespread dismay from airlines and travel businesses, who have warned the measures would hammer their industries’ recovery.
However, the government is reportedly planning on replacing the blanket measures with so-called “air bridges” to low-risk countries by the end of June.
A government spokesman had already revealed that it was considering the plan, which will give some much needed respite to battered businesses.
According to the Times, the plan is likely to put in place when the quarantine measures are first reviewed on 29 June, in time for the school summer holidays.
Another option is to extend the number of people who are exempt from the measures, a list which already includes lorry drivers, health professionals and police officers.
The developments came as 100 business leaders in the UK warned that the plan would lead to widespread job losses.
In a survey of 124 chief executives, owners and business leaders in the travel and hospitality industry, 71 per cent said they expected to make almost two-thirds of their staff redundant if the quarantine measures go ahead.
George Morgan-Grenfell of tour operator Red Savannah, which is leading the campaign against the quarantine plan, said:
“The quarantine measures are a blunt weapon which will bring only economic disaster.”