Thousands of holidaymakers have seen their plans thrown into chaos after measures were quarantined in the UK quarantine to take over France and the Netherlands on Saturday morning. Here are some of her stories.
‘We pack France’
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Scott Cuthbert
Scott and Tracy Cuthbert have been on holiday in France with their daughter Milly
Scott en Tracy Cuthbert, from the village of Bloxham in Oxfordshire, say cutting their holiday in the Loire Valley by six days was an “easy decision to make for us because we both need to work”.
Scott, a sales manager for a glass company, was furlough for 10 weeks, but the company has been doing well since returning to work – so he can not forget to miss him. And Tracy wants to make sure she’s back before the start of term for the private school where she works.
The couple and their daughter Milly, 16, were due to return on Thursday afternoon, but began “packing up” and looking for a ferry to take them home on time after hearing news of the rule changes . They had been on holiday with three other families who also all come home early.
“It ruined everyone’s vacation and cut it short,” Scott says. “Why are 14-day quarantines when parts of the UK are likely to be less affected? I’m very frustrated.”
The family booked themselves on a ferry for Friday afternoon, only to realize they would not make it to the port on time – so have now booked another ferry, leaving at 20:30 BST for Calais.
“We’re driving up now and the sat nav says we’ll have the room in about an hour,” Scott says from the car.
Milly is already worried about her GCSE results after the news about people being downgraded to A-levels – and is now worried that she could miss the first day back at school if the family had to self-isolate, her father adds.
- What are the UK government quarantine rules?
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Scott Cuthbert
The Cuthbert family and friends with whom they were on holiday together had to pick up quickly this morning
‘I’m a teacher and will miss the start period’
Katie is a teacher in London on holiday in a remote part of France, in a private villa. She says she and her children will miss the start of the school term because they are taking a 12-hour ride to the Channel Cross “so we can not make it back in time”.
Katie says she checked the government’s website and signed up for any warnings to keep an eye on changes to the rules. “We knew there could be a risk, but we also could not get a refund on our holiday,” she says.
“Why did they not give this call at the beginning of the week so we could travel back? Why did they still advise that it was OK to travel to France?”
“We have done everything the government has asked us for months, but I really think they should treat us all with a little respect and give us time to organize ourselves.”
‘We thought this was a low risk’
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Laurence Dolman
Laurence Dolman with his nine-year-old son Henry, and daughters Bethan, seven, and Eliza, three
Laurence Dolman and his family, from Sheffield, enjoyed a week of ice and sunshine at a Eurocamp in Wassenaar, in the Netherlands. Their ferry home will arrive on Saturday at 08:30 in Hull – four hours after the rules go into effect.
Before the pandemic, the family had spent about a year and a half planning a big trip around Europe for this summer, and they have lost a lot of money since it was canceled. So they decided to treat themselves to a smaller summer holiday, choosing the Netherlands carefully as what they thought was a “low-risk” place to visit compared to other European countries.
While Laurence, 41, and his wife Michelle, 40, have been discussing “crazy ideas” about possible unbundling of the self-isolation rules, due to “possible in British naval territory” by the cut-off time of 04.00, they have “no regrets” about the quarantine must.
“We deserved this holiday,” Laurence says, pointing out how difficult it has been to get his kids home from school during lockdown.
Asked if they were thinking about trying to get home early, he added: “No, we’ll just be packing our last vacation.”
“My wife and I have another week off before we have to go back to work. I’m happy to be able to work from home, but because my wife is a social worker, it’s a little more of a problem for her.” .
- You ended up going abroad, but was it worth it?
- Sun, sea and sanitizer: How will your vacation be?
“Who will look after mother?”
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Karl Simpson
Karl Simpson is not returning from his holiday in south-east France
Karl Simpson went to his second home in the French neighborhood of Vion, knowing “perfectly well” he might need to be quarantined on his return to Southampton on 20 August.
But now that it has been confirmed, he is worried about arranging care for his 90-year-old mother, who has dementia.
“There is no time now to reschedule care when I am absent,” he says. “Will the government help? Will I break quarantine rules when I visit mother, or do it [previous lockdown exemptions for carers] still applicable? I have arranged care for the time I am away, but maintaining that care above 20 will be difficult. “
Karl, a 68-year-old scientist who has advised the government on faxing and pandemic planning, hopes the same exemptions for mantle caregivers will be in place as when the UK went into full lockdown in March – but “there is not a clear guidance on that though “.
He says he agrees with the principle of quarantine after a foreign holiday, “but it must be applied intelligently”.
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