Reaction to Government quarantine announcement

26 May 2020

The government on Friday (22 May) announced how the UK's 14-day travel quarantine will work.

To help limit the spread of Covid-19, those arriving in the UK from 8 June will be asked to fill in a form before travel which will include contact information, travel plans and an address where they must self-isolate for 14 days. This will apply to arrivals from all countries with the exception of the common travel area (the Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man). The home secretary confirmed there will be no exemption for arrivals from France, contrary to previous reports.

Commenting on the announcement, UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The basis of any quarantine conditions must be science-led and backed with a clear set of criteria for the length of their imposition. The imposition of a quarantine period will inevitably damage international visitor travel, and the longer it is in place, the more damage it will wreak.

“Leisure and business tourism is a significant driver of our economy and will be key to recovery. While beating the virus is the paramount concern, it is important that measures imposed are both proportionate to risk and workable in practice.

“There needs to be, as a bare minimum, an indication of how long measures might be in place, to allow businesses to plan, and criteria should be set out, so that we know what criteria must be fulfilled to enable removal or change to quarantine.”

Joss Croft, CEO, UKinbound in response to the Government briefing by Home Secretary Priti Patel regarding the new quarantine policy, said: “Imposing a 14-day quarantine on international arrivals is another blow to the UK’s struggling tourism and hospitality industry – worth £28bn per year. It’s imperative that this policy is implemented for as short a time as possible. While the highest priority for businesses across the industry continues to be the health and safety of customers and staff, we implore Government to fully explore all options available such as air bridges and extensive testing, so that international tourists can return as soon as safely possible. If the 14-day quarantine measures need to be in place longer-term, our industry will need significant and extended support.”