Everyone arriving in the UK must undergo a two-week home quarantine. The rule applies to both Britons and non-UK nationals.
British airlines, which have already sold many tickets, fear that the measure will slow down the summer season.
Starting Monday, anyone arriving in the UK will have to fill out a form with contact details, itinerary and address for a fourteen-day self-isolation period. Anyone who violates the quarantine will face a fine of up to £1,000, equivalent to SEK 11,700.
The rule is controversial. The government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said last week that a quarantine is most effective when the UK has few cases of coronavirus and other countries have more.
Home Secretary Priti Patel disagrees with the lack of effectiveness of the quarantine.
”"The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases coming in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave. We all want to return to normality as soon as possible," she says, according to the business newspaper. Financial Times.
The British government is divided. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps are among those who want to ”save the summer” – and the economy.
Meanwhile, the government is discussing establishing quarantine-free air corridors with selected travel destinations. Popular summer destinations such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Turkey have signaled a willingness to open such corridors.
Meanwhile, airlines British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair have launched legal action against the government's quarantine requirements. They are targeting the fact that the UK has more infections and deaths than any other European country. However, Scotland reported on Monday its second consecutive day without corona deaths.
”"The difference is so great that it reinforces the fact that it is illogical and irrational for the government to require self-isolation for people arriving in the UK from the EU," they write in a letter.
”"These measures are disproportionate and unfair to both British citizens and overseas visitors. We call on the government to remove the ineffective visitor quarantine which will have a devastating effect on the UK tourism industry and destroy thousands more jobs in this crisis," a Ryanair spokesperson told the newspaper. The Guardian.
The low-cost airline's CEO Michael O'Leary said on Monday that Ryanair will not cancel scheduled flights to and from the UK.
”"The flights are fully booked out of the UK. The British are ignoring this quarantine. Ryanair has thousands of flights daily to all places in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece from July 1, July 2, July 3 and every day thereafter," he tells the Reuters news agency, according to TT.
Source: di.se
