This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/27/coronavirus-labour-criticises-blunt-tool-quarantine-rules-for-travellers-from-spain

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Coronavirus quarantine for travellers from Spain is blunt tool, says Labour Spain seeks removal of UK Covid-19 restrictions for Canaries and Balearics
(about 4 hours later)
Shadow home secretary says UK should instead introduce ‘test, trace and isolate in a firm way at the border’ Officials question need for all-Spain approach when islands have lower rates of infection than UK
Labour has criticised the government for imposing a 14-day quarantine on people entering the UK from Spain as a “blunt tool”, saying a better option would be measures such as increased test, trace and isolate for returning travellers. Spain has said it is in talks over the potential removal of quarantine restrictions for travellers going to the UK from the Canaries and Balearics, as industry groups warned the current blanket policy would be “a hammer blow” for travel firms.
The UK government’s decision late on Saturday to oblige everyone returning from all parts of Spain to quarantine for 14 days brought a warning from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) that it could also badly affect firms more widely, with staff unexpectedly absent as they isolate.
The Spanish government has questioned the whole-country policy given several regions of the country, including the holiday islands popular with British tourists, have lower rates of coronavirus infection than the UK.
Spain’s tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, said on Monday that the government was providing the UK with epidemiological updates about each of Spain’s 17 regions, adding that six of them were currently in a better epidemiological situation than the UK.
“There have been conversations since the weekend with the British authorities about dropping quarantine for those visiting the islands as soon as possible,” Maroto said.
“We’ll be talking to all the Spanish regions to see what they propose, and any proposals will be brought to the British authorities,” she added.
The autonomous governments of Andalucía and Valencia have already asked for their regions to be included in the talks on lifting quarantine restrictions.
Maroto said Spain was trying to be as open and transparent as possible when it came to sharing information. “We want to use that information to bring confidence and transparency when it comes to taking decisions,” she said.
“Our opposite numbers around Europe are doing the same thing and keeping us informed about the outbreaks, which are happening across all European countries and not just in Spain.
“We’re living alongside the virus but that doesn’t mean we can’t travel or enjoy some well-deserved holidays. But we need to be prudent and we need to respect the virus. But that doesn’t mean we can’t control it and enjoy a certain kind of daily life when living alongside it.”
Earlier on Monday, Labour has criticised the quarantine from Spain as a “blunt tool”, saying a better option would be measures such as increased test, trace and isolate for returning travellers.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the sudden imposition of the new quarantine rules late on Saturday betrayed “the chaotic nature of the decision-making” in government.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the sudden imposition of the new quarantine rules late on Saturday betrayed “the chaotic nature of the decision-making” in government.
But as travel companies warned of renewed pressure on the industry, the health minister, Helen Whately, said the government had to “take the decision that is the best for the public health of the United Kingdom”. Thomas-Symonds told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that there was a need for measures to limit the possible spread of coronavirus via people entering the UK from other countries.
He said: “But there are two serious questions around this. The first is why we are still employing the blunt tool of the 14-day quarantine rather than smarter measures; and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making, which certainly hasn’t bred confidence in the government’s approach.”
Travel companies have warned of renewed pressure on the industry. The BCC’s director general, Adam Marshall, said: “Abrupt changes to quarantine measures will be yet another hammer blow for the fragile travel and tourism industries, both here in the UK and overseas.
But the health minister, Helen Whately, said the government had to “take the decision that is the best for the public health of the United Kingdom”.
Saying that other countries could also face quarantine measures if, like Spain, coronavirus cases rose rapidly, Whately said that in booking holidays people should have been aware of the potential risks.Saying that other countries could also face quarantine measures if, like Spain, coronavirus cases rose rapidly, Whately said that in booking holidays people should have been aware of the potential risks.
“What we have said throughout the time we have put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That is exactly what we have done in Spain.”“What we have said throughout the time we have put in place the policy on the travel corridors, the air bridges, is that we would need to keep those under review, that we would need to monitor the rates in other countries,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “That is exactly what we have done in Spain.”
The restrictions threw summer holiday plans into disarray for British tourists, and will raise fears among those travelling to other European countries that they could face a similar turnaround at a moment’s notice.
Government sources said ministers were prepared to act quickly to impose the new rules, if needed, on other countries – but said there were no plans for air bridgesI to be revoked with other European countries.
Also speaking on Today, Thomas-Symonds said there was a need for measures to limit the possible spread of coronavirus via people entering the UK from other countries.
He said: “But there are two serious questions around this. The first is why we are still employing the blunt tool of the 14-day quarantine rather than smarter measures; and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making, which certainly hasn’t bred confidence in the government’s approach.
“They need to introduce test, trace and isolate in a firm way at the border, so that that blanket 14 days for every person is not necessary.”
Asked how testing would work, given someone could test negative for the virus as they entered the UK but still develop it within the two-week period, Thomas-Symonds said testing should be part of a smarter set of quarantine measures, rather than “the wrong, one-size-fits-all approach”.
He said: “There’s a real incoherence in the government’s approach to this over the last six months, and serious questions about their competence.”
Asked why quarantine measures were also imposed on people returning from Spain’s Canary and Balearic islands, despite low levels of Covid-19 infections there, Whately said cases were “also rising quickly on the islands, albeit from a lower base”.Asked why quarantine measures were also imposed on people returning from Spain’s Canary and Balearic islands, despite low levels of Covid-19 infections there, Whately said cases were “also rising quickly on the islands, albeit from a lower base”.
She said: “We took the advice of the chief medical officer, Public Health England, and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, that the best thing to protect the United Kingdom was to do a blanket quarantine for people coming back from Spain and the islands. We have to take the decision that is the best for the public health of the United Kingdom.”She said: “We took the advice of the chief medical officer, Public Health England, and the Joint Biosecurity Centre, that the best thing to protect the United Kingdom was to do a blanket quarantine for people coming back from Spain and the islands. We have to take the decision that is the best for the public health of the United Kingdom.”
Asked what travellers with holidays booked to destinations which are currently exempt from quarantine measures should do, Whately said they should be aware of any changing Foreign Office guidance on travel.
She said: “We’re in a pandemic. What we don’t want to see is a second spike.”