Britain reflects on quarantine for foreign visitors

LONDON: Britain could introduce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for international arrivals to stop the spread of the coronavirus, an airline association said on Saturday (May 9), raising the alarm in an industry that has already been hit by the global pandemic.

Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, the trade body for UK-registered airlines, confirmed to AFP that the government had come up with the idea.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson may reveal the measure Sunday night, according to media reports, when he sets his roadmap to ease a national blockade imposed in late March to curb the spread of COVID-19.

He has already said he will proceed with “utmost caution” to avoid exacerbating the outbreak in Britain, the worst-affected country in Europe with 31,587 confirmed coronavirus deaths.

No major rule changes are expected to stay home next week, though garden centers are expected to reopen on Wednesday.

The quarantine measures were first reported in The Times newspaper, which said that anyone entering Britain by plane, train or ship must be isolated for fifteen days in early June.

Visitors from neighboring Ireland would be exempt, he said, as would truck drivers bringing crucial supplies, but the measure would include British citizens returning from abroad.

The rule would be enforced through random checks in the direction given by travelers, with possible penalties including fines of up to £ 1,000 ($ 1,200, € 1,100) or deportation, The Times said.

The aviation industry, already on the brink after planes landed worldwide at the start of the virus outbreak, called for urgent clarity on the plans.

Airlines UK had previously warned that a quarantine “would effectively kill international travel to and from the United Kingdom,” making it “almost impossible for aviation to resume soon.”

In a statement Saturday, Alderslade said the group needed to see more details of the plan and would ask for assurances that the decision was “science driven” and would be regularly reviewed.

“We also need to see a number of new support measures to see airlines during this period, so that we still have a UK aviation sector once the quarantine period is lifted,” he added.

Derek Provan, CEO of AGS Airports, which owns and operates several British regional airports, also expressed alarm.

“This measure will have a devastating effect on aviation, tourism and hospitality as inbound visitors will not come to the UK while they are in place,” he said.

The government declined to comment on the plans on Saturday, but Johnson’s spokesman confirmed on Friday that the idea was under “active” consideration.

At the start of the global outbreak, Britain asked visitors to hot spots such as the Chinese city of Wuhan and northern Italy to insulate themselves upon arrival.

But he refused to follow other countries to close their borders, saying that the coronavirus was already in Britain.

If infection rates drop enough to start lifting the blockade, officials say quarantining foreign visitors could help stop a further surge.

Separately, Secretary of Transport Grant Shapps announced plans to increase and improve bicycle routes and expand pavements in England in the coming weeks, to boost cycling and walking.

He warned that when the closure is eased, continued social distancing measures mean that the public transportation network will only be able to cope with one-tenth of passengers before the outbreak.

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