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The QUARANTINE rules for passengers arriving in the UK could be lowered to just eight days amid warnings that the 14-day rule is “strangling” the economy.
It comes as companies and MPs warned Boris Johnson about the colossal damage caused to the travel industry by politics.
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The Mail on Sunday reports that officials are considering the option of testing people for the virus eight days after they arrive in the country.
However, government sources told the newspaper that no decision has yet been made.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also told the BBC’s ‘Andrew Marr Show’ this morning that a testing policy for inbound travelers was “under review.”
However, he stressed that trying it “was not a silver bullet” and would help “ease” the quarantine, but would not eliminate the need entirely.
Boris Johnson is also said to have told Conservative MPs of his hopes for an “infectiousness test” earlier this week, which would reveal patients who tested positive for the virus but did not transmit it to others.
Plans for an “infectivity test” were revealed at a 1922 Committee meeting, and one aide commented that “they led us to believe that rapid tests are yet to come.”
A fast and efficient testing regime could help the government to get rid of restrictions like general quarantine measures and examine ways to help reopen other industries.
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It comes as a group of MPs and famous political figures urged the prime minister to reconsider the quarantine policy in a joint letter published today in the Mail on Sunday.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote: “The insistence on the current quarantine measures is hurting the British economy enormously, quite unnecessarily.”
And former Brexit secretary David Davis said the quarantine measures “run the risk of strangling our economy.”
Former Labor Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis also urged Downing Street to seek better test options at airports in response to a “massive widespread disruption.”
Heathrow is preparing in case the government announces a policy change and has established the UK’s first airport testing facility with the capacity to test 13,000 people a day.
But it will remain closed due to Downing Street’s refusal to use the evidence as proof that travelers will not need to self-quarantine.
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It comes amid growing fears of mass layoffs in the travel sector, which has already seen a drop in revenue during the coronavirus lockdown.
Rolls-Royce, which makes jet engines, is slated to lay off 3,000 employees, while popular tour operator Tui has warned of 8,000 job losses worldwide.
Virgin Atlantic, meanwhile, announced plans to cut 1,150 jobs on Friday.
However, the prime minister said on Friday that tests at the airport could give a “false sense of confidence”, insisting that tests at the point of entry only identify 7% of positive virus cases.
He said, “So 93% of the time you might have a false sense of real security, a false sense of confidence when you come in and take an exam.
“That is why the quarantine system we have has to be an important part of our repertoire, of our toolbox, in the fight against COVID.”
But there are also concerns that inbound travelers are not being sufficiently screened, with less than a third of location forms screened.
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And thousands of Britons could be ignoring the “confusing” quarantine rules after returning from their summer holidays abroad.
The Metropolitan Police have received more than 1,000 tips to carry out quarantine checks to make sure tourists are kept in their two-week isolation.
London police officers said they have so far visited 840 people with another 301 planned, to check if they are in quarantine after returning from abroad, The Guardian reports.
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