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Spain seeks removal of UK Covid-19 restrictions for Canaries and Balearics Spain seeks removal of UK Covid-19 restrictions for Canaries and Balearics
(about 1 hour later)
Officials question need for all-Spain approach when islands have lower rates of infection than UKOfficials question need for all-Spain approach when islands have lower rates of infection than UK
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. 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 Downing Street warned would-be holidaymakers that “no travel is risk-free” because of coronavirus.
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 businesses more widely, with staff unexpectedly absent as they isolate. Amid speculation the mandatory 14-day self-isolation rule could be imposed on other popular holiday destinations such as France, the travel industry is urging ministers to take a more targeted approach.
The Spanish government has questioned the whole-country policy given several regions of the country, including the islands popular with British tourists, have lower rates of coronavirus infection than the UK. The Spanish government has questioned the UK’s decision to impose quarantine on people coming in from any part of Spain given several regions of the country, including the 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. However, it is not expected that the UK government will immediately change its advice to scrap quarantine restrictions for the Spanish islands.
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 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.”“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.”
The autonomous governments of Andalucía and Valencia have already asked for their regions to be included in the talks on lifting quarantine restrictions.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. 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.” The Association of British Travel Agents, easyJet and the lobby group Airlines UK have all called for a regional approach to quarantine.
Tui, Britain’s largest tour operator, said it was asking the UK government why the Canary and Balearic islands were included in the quarantine. The company has not yet cancelled trips to the islands, despite cancelling all holidays to the Spanish mainland up to 9 August.
Asked if other countries could also be subject to UK quarantine measures, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “We keep data for all countries and territories under constant review. We update our exemptions list with any changes on a regular basis.”
He added: “Unfortunately, no travel is risk-free during this pandemic, and disruption is possible, and so anyone travelling abroad should be aware that our travel advice and exemptions list are under constant review as we monitor the international situation.”
The assessment of whether countries should face quarantine restrictions was made by the government’s new Joint Biosecurity Centre, the spokesman said, based on “a range of factors”. These include estimates for the proportion of the population currently infectious; virus incidence rates and trends in incidence and deaths; information on countries’ testing capacity, and assessments of the quality of data available.
The spokesman said the decision was made after an urgent review into the situation in Spain by the government’s Covid-19 operations committee, chaired by Michael Gove, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Others who took part in the meeting included the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, who is on holiday in Spain and will need to self-isolate when he returns, and the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab.
Earlier on Monday, Labour criticised the quarantine on arrivals from Spain as a “blunt tool”, saying better options were available such as increased testing and tracing of arrivals.Earlier on Monday, Labour criticised the quarantine on arrivals from Spain as a “blunt tool”, saying better options were available such as increased testing and tracing of arrivals.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the sudden imposition of the new rules betrayed “the chaotic nature of the decision-making” in government. He 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.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the sudden imposition of the new rules betrayed “the chaotic nature of the decision-making” in government. He 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.
“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.”“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.
“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 the Today programme. “That is exactly what we have done in Spain.”
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.”