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UK tourists ‘left in dark’ by holiday quarantine, say MPs as anger over 'red-listing' of countries grows

Rising cases in France have sparked concerns that it will be added to the quarantine list - EPA
Rising cases in France have sparked concerns that it will be added to the quarantine list - EPA
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..
Coronavirus Article Bar with counter ..

Holidaymakers are being “left in the dark” by a “grossly unfair” lack of transparency on quarantine restrictions, MPs have warned as fears France will be placed on the Government's red list led some to cancel their trips.

In the latest blow to summer breaks, rising cases in the country have sparked concerns it will be added to the list of destinations requiring holidaymakers to quarantine for 14 days on their return to Britain, following the addition of Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas from Saturday and Spain at the end of last month.  

If such restrictions were brought in, an estimated million British travellers could be affected, with around half a million believed to already be in the country and a similar number set to head to France before the end of the month.

British tourists in France told the Telegraph they were returning home early to avoid a possible quarantine, while the owner of a 100-villa complex in south west France said bookings had been cancelled in recent days because of the uncertainty.

MPs and travel experts condemned the lack of clarity from the government as unfair to travellers and the tourism industry.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said: “We should move to a proper testing regime for air travellers as quickly as possible but in the meantime, it is essential that the Government is as transparent as possible about the criteria which are being used judging which countries require quarantine and which do not.

“Leaving the travelling public in the dark is grossly unfair to them and is causing further damage to the holiday and leisure sector.”

Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, the former Tory leader, said holidaymakers needed more, clearer information so they could make better informed decisions about where they could travel abroad.

He also urged the Government to consider regional travel corridors and testing to replace the "blunt" approach of quarantine.

"People are travelling to countries at the moment and they have no idea whether they will or will not have quarantine re-imposed. More information is required," he said.

"My only question is cannot the Government not look at regional quarantine so that people could travel to low risk areas like Majorca but not Barcelona."

It comes as cases in France have begun to rise again and some areas have been placed in local lockdowns:

Paul Charles, of travel consultancy the PC Agency, estimated that a million British tourists could be affected if quarantine was reimposed for those returning from France.

He said the criteria provided by the Government for which countries faced restrictions was “opaque at best” and that the resulting confusion was not helping the industry recover.

He added: “Consumers are not political or medical experts. They just want to be guaranteed a safe holiday.”       Government sources said no decision was imminent on France with no further changes to the “green” list of quarantine-free countries until the end of next week.

But officials and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, warned they could not rule out a sudden change if there was a serious shift in Covid-19 rates.

“If there was something significant that came through from France in the same way with Spain, we would act quickly,” said a Government source.

Rishi Sunak said the Government would "act quickly" if it needed to add France to the quarantine list - GETTY IMAGES
Rishi Sunak said the Government would "act quickly" if it needed to add France to the quarantine list - GETTY IMAGES

Mr Sunak said:  “If we need to take action as you've seen overnight, we will of course not hesitate to do that and we're doing that to protect people's health.”

The Department for Transport said that while changes to the travel corridor list can be disruptive, public health remained the top priority and that they are made as necessary.

Henry Smith, Tory chair of the Future of Aviation group, said ministers would be “damned” if they did warn of a French quarantine and then it did not happen, and “damned” if they introduced one suddenly, without warning. He said that “the answer is testing” and pointed that Germany is testing incoming passengers.

But Martyn James, of complaints service Resolver, said: “The fact of the matter is they [the travel industry] have been advertising holidays and the Government is encouraging us to go on holiday, but at this moment in time consumers are taking all the risk and that's simply not fair.”

Yvonne Fovargue MP, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on consumer protection, said: "There appears to be a lack of transparency around the criteria that the Government are using to remove destinations from the list of safe countries to visit.

"There is no consistency which is leading to public disquiet and concern."

Marseilles sweltered in a heatwave on Friday. Many Britons have cancelled trips to France over the prospect of having to quarantine - AP
Marseilles sweltered in a heatwave on Friday. Many Britons have cancelled trips to France over the prospect of having to quarantine - AP

Holidaymakers told the Telegraph that the lack of official guidance had left them unsure of what to do.

Tim Marston, 41, a head teacher from Northampton, cut short his holiday in France and travelled home on Friday instead of Monday. He said: “As a head teacher I couldn’t risk the quarantine period.”

Danny Barlow, 32, from Chester, is now considering whether to cancel his planned holiday to Deauville on August 15.

He said: “We are now considering cancelling and trying to recoup some of the money as it will cost a lot more to quarantine when we come back as none of the travelling party can work from home.”

He added: “If it came into effect whilst over there we would all be out of work for 2 weeks.”

Several of the outbreaks reported in France have been in tourist hotspots including Paris, Mayenne and Ille-et-Villaine.

Jean Castex, the French prime minister, has warned that a second lockdown may be needed if people fail to observe social distancing.

Which countries in Europe have the fewest new cases per capita?
Which countries in Europe have the fewest new cases per capita?

France on Friday announced its largest daily increase in Covid-19 infections since May, with 2,288 new cases.

However, the rise in cases may be misleading, according to some scientists, because many more tests are now being carried out.

Of the 3.5 million tests carried out in France since the start of the outbreak, 2.5 million were done in June and July.

France has reported nearly 10,000 new infections this week.

While France is not believed to be officially on the government's "watch" list of countries for reimposing quarantine, Malta, Faroe Islands and Turks and Caicos are understood to be.

Portugal and Sweden’s improving rates of Covid-19 could see them added to the quarantine-free “green” list next week.

 

Have your holiday plans been disrupted by constant changes to the Government's travel quarantine rules? Let us know in the comments below.