By Tony Winterburn • Published: 10 May 2020 • 13:37
Zero cases of covid-19 on Gibraltar
Airlines and tour operators have reacted with fury to government plans to force all travellers to the UK to be placed in quarantine for a fortnight – angering British citizens in Spain and Gibraltar.
With the Costa del Sol basically in a ‘frozen state’ due to the emergency lockdown measures the news that British Airways is considering flying a minimal service comes as a massive blow to both economies.
The move is intended to prevent a second peak of the Covid-19 virus sweeping the country later this year but companies have described it as an effective ‘ban’ on foreign holidays because most people would not be prepared to pay the price of having to self-isolate for 14 days after every overseas trip.
The measures, expected to be introduced early next month, would require travellers to provide an address at which they will stay for the two weeks. Flouters caught through spot checks would be fined up to £1,000 or deported, under powers introduced by the new Coronavirus Act.
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If possibly infected Brits were planning to fly to Gibraltar/Spain and infect the population there, would not the Gibraltarians/Spanish be clamouring for a quarantine period to be imposed on them, for their own people’s protection? Until a sure-fire way of ensuring that travelers are not an infection risk, or a vaccine is found, everyone, everywhere in the world should either not travel or, be quarantined on arrival to ensure the safety of everyone. It was people continuing to travel that started this pandemic in the first place. Yes, we have to restart the economy somehow, but in a safe way, and imposing a quarantine on people who travel has to be better than no travel at all. Would Gibraltar/Spain prefer to stay in complete lockdown or abide by the quarantine period in the short term when they can at least receive some travelers instead of none, until the pandemic is controlled. It is a difficult situation for the airline industry but reducing the risks is more important than mere profit and stopping flights completely is not gong to help anyone, either the destinations they fly to, or the airlines themselves.
Read the comment, it refers to people traveling to the UK NOT to people traveling to Gibraltar/Spain.
I live on the cost Blanca, my family are in uk, Portsmouth to be exact. I like to go back a couple of times a year to visit my grandkids and my elderly parents. Because of business commitments in Spain I can only spend up to 5 days in Portsmouth. These measures now mean I cannot go until they are lifted. Many expats will be in the same boat 😡
If you want to get back to UK and avoid quarantine tell the authorities your a fruit picker. Hundreds of them bussed in to work but not a hint of a quarantine period. Double Standards.
Let them cancel flights australia done the 14 day quarantine and they have beaten the virus. BA is just thinking about money not caring about peoples lives. People just think it’s just the UK don’t worry about them well no it’s about time we made a stance. If they don’t want the 14 day quarantine don’t come here and all air lines if use don’t like it cancel the flights then
‘Angering British citizens in Spain and Gibraltar.’ Simple solution – don’t come back. It was your choice to live there, suck it up and accept it.
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