The British government has told airlines it will introduce a 14-day quarantine period for most people arriving from abroad to try to avoid a second peak of the coronavirus outbreak, an association representing the airlines said on Saturday.
Airlines UK, which represents British Airways (ICAG.L), easyJet (EZJ.L) and other UK carriers, said the move required “a credible exit plan” and should be reviewed weekly. Airport operators said it could have a “devastating” impact on the aviation industry and the broader economy.
The quarantine plan was first reported by The Times newspaper, which said Prime Minister Boris Johnson would announce on Sunday that passengers arriving at airports and ports, including Britons returning from abroad, would have to self-isolate for a fortnight.
Under measures that are likely to come into force in early June, travellers will have to provide the address at which they will self-isolate on arrival, The Times said.
“These measures will help protect the British public and reduce the transmission of the virus as we move into the next phase of our response,” The Times quoted a government source as saying.
Johnson’s Downing Street office and the interior ministry declined comment.
At the government’s daily news briefing, transport minister Grant Shapps did not confirm the quarantine plans but said, with the UK infection rate down, “it clearly then makes sense to look at what happens at the borders”.
Ireland has had similar measures in place since last month.
Johnson is due to announce on Sunday the next steps in Britain’s battle to tackle the pandemic following a review by ministers of lockdown measures that have all but shut down the economy and kept millions at home for nearly seven weeks.
reuters