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The European Commission and the head of Ryanair have pointed to plans by the UK Government to quarantine visitors for at least two weeks upon arrival in the UK.
In his address to the nation on Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that “soon will be the time” to “quarantine people entering this country by air” as the UK struggles to keep its coronavirus transmission rate.
Since then it has confirmed that those traveling from Ireland and France will be exempt from the measures.
The European Commission on Tuesday criticized the decision not to apply the exemption to all nations in the European Union that are at a similar stage in their UK coronavirus outbreak.
What is ineffective is such idiotic measures as a 14-day quarantine, which has no scientific basis, when it can exempt the French and the Irish.
Meanwhile, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary called the upcoming policy “idiotic” and called on ministers to instead introduce airport controls that would allow tourists to start boarding their planes again. .
In a briefing for journalists, the European Commission reminded Downing Street that the UK remains subject to EU free movement rules during the Brexit transition period, which will currently end in 2021.
Health spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said the UK, while free to introduce its own quarantine restrictions, is expected to apply the same rules to EU countries with a Covid-19 situation similar to its own.
He said: “We would expect member states that follow certain measures in the quarantine area to apply the same rules to other member states if they have similar epidemiological situations.”
O’Leary also joined the idea of forcing foreign visitors to isolate themselves for up to fifteen days, claiming that they could not find support from the public.
O’Leary told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “What is ineffective is these kinds of idiotic measures like a 14-day quarantine, which has no scientific basis, when you can exempt the French and the Irish.
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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary (Brian Lawless / PA)“It doesn’t make sense and it has no effect on limiting the spread of Covid-19.”
He argued that there are more adequate controls that could be implemented to allow air travel to start again.
Their comments come after Ryanair announced that it is slated to restore 40% of its flights starting July 1.
“The reality is that we have passed the peak of the virus,” said the owner of a millionaire airline.
“What we need now is to take effective measures, and effective measures certainly on air travel will include masks and temperature controls.
“They are not going to involve measures that do not have public support, such as the blockade, isolation.
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Ryanair will start 40% of its flights in July (Brian Lawless / PA)“Anyway, they are not implementable because you don’t have the police resources to go and check people out.”
The 59-year-old man said families have a “great pent-up desire” to “escape to the beaches of Spain and Portugal,” where he predicted that “the virus would not spread.”
But UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to curb those starting to plan trips to sunny climates this summer, but confirming that international escapes would not be possible in 2020.
When asked if “the summer was canceled,” the British cabinet minister told ITV This Morning: “I think that is the case.”
He said that “social distancing of some kind” should continue in the summer months.
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UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has suggested that international vacations will not be possible this summer (Pippa Fowles / 10 Downing Street / Crown Copyright / PA)“The bottom line is that big, luxurious international vacations are unlikely to be possible this summer. I just think it’s a reality of life,” he added.
Hancock, during an interview on Sky News, defended plans to force visitors to quarantine, arguing that it is necessary to “control” the future spread of the coronavirus.
“There are many things that we have to do to control this virus that I wish I didn’t have to do … but it’s a fact that we have to control this virus,” he said.
“Because otherwise hundreds of thousands of people will die, so that is something we will have to do.”
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