Travel Industry Calls for Nuanced Approach to Quarantine Policy

Strategic Insights -

Airlines, airports, and tour operators, including EasyJet, British Airways, Tui, and Heathrow Airport, have come together to urge the government to adopt a more targeted approach to its quarantine policy, citing the sudden removal of Spain from the Department for Transport's (DfT) quarantine-exempt list as a prime example of the need for change. The industry signatories argue that the current blanket travel restrictions, particularly the removal of the Canary and Balearic Islands from the DfT list, are based on no clear rationale and will have a devastating impact on the travel industry. They advocate for the introduction of regional travel corridors, based on testing, to allow for safe travel to areas with low Covid-19 rates, such as parts of Spain, Canada, and the US.

Key Takeaways:

  • 47 travel industry signatories, including EasyJet, British Airways, Tui, and Heathrow Airport, have sent an open letter to the government calling for a more nuanced approach to quarantine policy.
  • The Canary and Balearic Islands have been removed from the DfT list and the Foreign Office's separate list, despite having lower Covid-19 rates than the UK.
  • The removal of these islands from the quarantine-exempt list has been criticized for being arbitrary and lacking clear rationale.
  • The current rate of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the Canary Islands is around two, compared to the UK's 14.
  • Industry leaders, including Heathrow Airport's CEO John Holland-Kaye, have advocated for the introduction of passenger-testing regimes to safely open up travel and trade.
  • Several European countries, including those in the EU, are already implementing passenger-testing regimes, with the UK at risk of falling behind if it fails to act soon.
  • The DfT is expected to review its travel corridors list again, with Luxemburg and Belgium reportedly at risk of being removed due to rising Covid-19 cases.

Statistics:

  • The current rate of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the Canary Islands is 2.
  • The UK's rate of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people is 14.
  • The number of travel industry signatories calling for a more nuanced approach to quarantine policy is 47.
  • The number of European countries implementing passenger-testing regimes is several.

Sources:

  • European Financial Review
  • Legal Monitor Worldwide (legalmonitor.com)
  • SyndiGate Media Inc. (syndigate.info)