COVID-19: 14-day quarantine rule for inbound UK travellers comes into force

The compulsory 14-day quarantine for inbound travellers came into force in the UK on June 8 amid strong objection and protests from the airline industry. The sector has already been reeling due to the travel restrictions imposed as a part of COVID-19 response and the mandatory quarantine could further hit the industry as tourists won’t prefer 14-days quarantine.

British Airways released a joint statement along with Ryanair and EasyJet urging the government to rethink the measures. Calling the measures disproportionate, the airline companies said that it is unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK.

"We urge the UK govt to remove this ineffective visitor quarantine which will have a devastating effect on UK's tourism industry and will destroy (even more) thousands of jobs in this unprecedented crisis," the statement read.

British Airways sent a pre-action letter to ministers on June 5 and started legal proceedings against the government order. However, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has maintained that the mandatory quarantine is backed by science and is essential to save lives. While acknowledging the difficulties of the tourism industry, Patel said that the government has announced an unprecedented package of support for both employees and businesses.

“But we will all suffer if we get this wrong. That's why it's crucial that we introduce these measures now,” she said.

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Smaller market woes

The airline industry is already going through an unprecedented crisis which has forced companies to shrink the fleet and announce lay-offs. Last month, easyJet announced its plan to lay off 4,500 employees and shrink its fleet to cut down the expenditure, aimed at adjusting to the smaller market post-pandemic.

Boeing’s chief executive recently said that the air traffic may not bounce back for two or three years to the pre-pandemic levels. Speaking at an annual meeting, Boeing CEO David Calhoun presented a sober outlook of the aviation industry and predicted that it could take three to five years to restore the company’s dividend.

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(With PTI inputs)