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Reuters
Talks are being held with Spain on the relaxation of quarantine rules for the Balearic and Canary Islands, said a government source.
The possible move would mean people arriving in the UK from the islands would not have to isolate themselves for 14 days after the rules changed this weekend.
The travel industry expects ministers to make a decision on Friday.
A government source said there are no plans to change the rules, while number 10 said “no trip is without risk.”
A travel industry source said the government had told them it wanted to study more data from the Spanish islands before making a decision.
The infection rate in Spain is 35.1 cases per 100,000 people, while the United Kingdom is at 14.7, according to the latest figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
Data up to July 19 suggested that there were lower infection rates in the Balearic and Canary Islands than in mainland Spain.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said he canceled a holiday to the Balearic Islands after the quarantine rule change was announced on Saturday.
Shadow health minister Justin Madders said the change “could not have been done at a worse time or handled in a worse way” and questioned whether the quarantine rule should be extended to all of Spain.
Among the thousands of British tourists affected was Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps, who flew to Spain on Saturday despite knowing that a policy decision had to be made.
Shapps said in a statement that he would return to the UK this week to complete his quarantine and return to work as soon as possible.
James Middleton, a Weston-super-Mare receptionist, will also be returning home from his vacation this week.
His employer is exploring what he can do to help, but the 49-year-old man, who is on vacation in Tenerife until Tuesday, said he now risks not paying to comply with the quarantine rule.
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James Middleton
James Middleton is on vacation in Tenerife and is now facing a 14-day quarantine upon his return to the UK.
“I will have to pay the credit card bills at the end of the month and no income for two weeks, I will not be able to pay them and I will invite interest on them,” Middleton said.
He said he “has no problem” with the quarantine rule since the government “has to act on the information” it has, but believes it should “support” those affected.
“They have said before that no one should suffer as a result of following these rules, so they should abide by it. The minimum support that should be offered should be sick leave,” he said.
There has been increasing concern among employers about what to do if their staff cannot immediately return to work after their holidays in Spain.
Debbie Pearson runs small catering companies in the West Midlands. The staff at her business that handles weddings and events is exempt, but the staff at two companies that supply meals for seniors are still working.
Ms. Pearson said she will not be able to claim legal sick pay for workers who must isolate themselves for two weeks upon returning from vacation for any of those businesses.
“If I had to pay to pay them, I would pay them,” he said.
Because one of your businesses only has three employees, it will also put pressure on the remaining two employees if they have to cover the additional work for an additional two weeks.
“We pride ourselves on being a good employer,” he said. “If someone had been abroad and were told to isolate themselves, I would like to make sure that they were not asked to work.”
Cancellations
Holiday companies have responded to the imposition of quarantine for people arriving from Spain.
EasyJet said it would operate its full schedule of flights to Spain, but will cancel vacations to all Spanish destinations in the coming weeks. He said he only offered holidays where the requirement to insulate himself upon arrival or upon return was not known.
Ryanair said its schedules “will stay in place” and will continue flights in and out of Spain as normal.
Jet2 canceled flights and vacations from Costa de Almería, Alicante, Malaga and Murcia until August 16. The combined travel company Tui canceled all vacations in mainland Spain until August 9.
He said that customers traveling to all areas of Spain between July 27 and August 9 will be able to cancel or modify the holidays and receive a full refund or the option to re-book their holidays with an incentive.
However, there will be uncertainty for those with vacations departing on August 10, as the company said it will update passengers with future reservations on July 31.
The UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently advises against “all travel, except essential”, to countries without existing airlift agreements.
General measures
Tui has urged the UK government not to apply general quarantines to entire countries.
Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, said the government should have a “regionalized” policy.
That would mean that only travelers returning from coronavirus hot spots should be forced to quarantine.
The UK imposed the restriction over the weekend after an increase in infections in some Spanish regions, including Catalonia, where Barcelona is located, and Aragon.
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AFP
Holiday giant Tui canceled departures to Spain until August 9 after the quarantine announcement.
The French government has been telling its citizens to stay away from Catalonia, while Norway has imposed a new 10-day quarantine on all travelers arriving from Spain.
Flintham told the BBC that the government was “correctly nervous” about the ability of people to move “relatively uncontrollably” in countries that had an increase in cases in certain areas.
However, he said that most tourists stayed in one place when they got there and that they should be safe if they were not in high-risk areas.
“They don’t travel all over Spain and then they go home,” he said.
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AFP
Seven other people with coronavirus have died in all settings in the UK, according to the latest government figures, bringing the UK death toll to 45,759.
The government also said that in the 24-hour period until 09:00 BST on Monday, there were an additional 685 laboratory-confirmed cases. The UK total is 300,111.
