Quarantine plan for tourists may be scrapped by July if travel industry can devise safe alternative

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Quarantine plan for holidaymakers could be scrapped by July if travel industry bosses can devise safe alternative within three weeks

  • Priti Patel asked bosses to come up with ‘innovative solutions’ in a video meeting
  • It opened up a slim prospect of foreign holidays re-starting as early as June 29 
  • Travel firms have condemned the quarantine plans as a death-knell for the sector

By David Barrett Home Affairs Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

The UK’s controversial quarantine measures could be watered down or even scrapped for some routes by the end of this month if the travel industry can devise a safe alternative, the Home Secretary indicated.

Priti Patel urged aviation companies and other travel organisations to come up with ‘innovative solutions’ which would allow quarantine-free travel.

It opened up at least a slim prospect of foreign holidays re-starting as early as June 29 – before the school summer break begins.

The UK’s controversial quarantine travel measures could be watered down or even scrapped for some routes by the end of this month if the travel industry can devise a safe alternative, Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured at the daily coronavirus conference on May 22) indicated

Miss Patel told a video meeting with travel industry bosses: ‘We’re here today because we all share one aim: to keep people safe and get Britain moving again. I want to hear from you all about how we can do just that, and how we can innovate for a brighter future.’

NEW BANK HOLIDAY BOOST 

Plans for an extra bank holiday in October to help the British tourist industry received a boost yesterday.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the idea by Visit Britain was ‘excellent’ and was told it could raise £500 million for the economy.

He told the Commons the Government aimed to get UK tourism back in action for summer.

‘We have set this very ambitious target to try and get the sector back by July 4, so long as it is safe to do so,’ he said. 

Mr Dowden, who said he preferred staycations, was told by Tory ex-minister Tim Loughton that seaside town workers were ‘being laid off at the fastest rates of any areas of the UK’.

Urged to lobby for a VAT cut to 5 per cent on tourism, the Culture Secretary said: ‘I’m working closely with my colleague the Chancellor and we will be looking at further measures.

‘And of course, once the sector is ready to go I’ll be at the forefront of championing the campaign for British tourism.’

She praised their ‘dynamism’ and insisted the Government wanted to find solutions ‘together’.

Travel firms have condemned the quarantine plans as a death-knell for the sector.

It is understood that virus testing – on both outbound and inbound journeys – could form one alternative to quarantine if the industry can find a way to implement and fund it.

Plans for ‘travel corridors’ will also be developed in the coming weeks, sources said.

British Airways’ owners IAG sparked a row by declining to attend Thursday’s meeting.

IAG did not give a reason for not attending and declined to comment further. 

But on Wednesday BA was criticised in the Commons for threatening redundancies after taking huge sums in furlough payments from the taxpayer. 

A Whitehall source said: ‘It’s a shame that BA don’t want to directly make their case – clearly they aren’t serious about working with the Government to get Britain moving again.’ 

Representatives of 24 aviation, maritime and rail organisations and companies attended the conference call, including Virgin Atlantic, Eurostar and the operators of Heathrow.

The compulsory 14-day quarantine period comes into force on Monday and must be reviewed every three weeks. 

This means the aviation industry must have any alternative programme in place by June 29 if the measures are to be varied at the very first opportunity.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said at the daily Downing Street briefing that it was impossible to predict when foreign and domestic tourism could be allowed to re-start.

‘I can’t answer when people will be able to travel for tourism – that depends on the path of the virus,’ he said.