A sign indicating the beach at full capacity is located on Bogatell Beach in Barcelona, Spain.
Bloomberg
Sudden changes in coronavirus quarantine policies in Europe will have a “roller coaster effect” on airlines and a broader economic recovery, according to the chief executive of low-cost airline Wizz Air.
The UK government surprised many British tourists over the weekend by announcing a sudden change in its quarantine policy. Those arriving in England from Spain from Sunday must be isolated for 14 days.
The United Kingdom argued that a recent increase in the number of Covid-19 infections in Spain had prompted the decision. The Spanish government condemned the policy change arguing that the country was safe for tourists despite some regional outbreaks.
“We used to debate recovery from the ‘V’ or ‘U’ pandemic … I think we should expect a roller coaster effect,” Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air, told “Squawk Box Europe” on Wednesday. from CNBC.
“Spain will improve again, but some other markets may be under scrutiny,” he added, explaining that airlines will simply have to face uncertainty.
Investors have voiced some concerns this week about the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in different regions of Europe. Along with Spain, Luxembourg, Romania and Bulgaria, some of the European nations are seeing an increase in cases.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week that “among some of our European friends, I am afraid they are beginning to see in some places signs of a second wave of the pandemic.”
The UK is second only to Russia for the highest number of reported coronavirus cases in Europe.
Quim Torra, president of Catalonia, one of the Spanish regions where infections have grown in recent days, told CNBC on Wednesday that the area is still safe for international visitors.
“The world is living in a very complicated situation and in every country there are groups or outbreaks,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe”.
“In Catalonia, there are only three outbreaks … the rest of Catalonia, Costa Brava, Costa Dourada, the interior of Catalonia, the Pyrenees, are virus-free.”
Spanish authorities believe that young people have contributed to the magnitude of the recent outbreaks.
In this context, the region of Catalonia has prohibited the meetings of more than 10 people and imposed restrictions on the consumption of alcohol in public spaces.
Torra said they call on young people “to be responsible much more now than in the first wave.”
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