Coronavirus UK: Grant Shapps adds Greek islands to quarantine list

Thousands of Britons have seen flights from seven Greek islands added to the government’s red list treble in price today, as they face a desperate rush back home to beat the quarantine deadline.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed on Monday that Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos are being stripped of quarantine exempt status as of 4am on Wednesday amid fears over a spike in coronavirus cases.

Since the announcement, tourists have had to scramble to make alternative plans, with many frantically booking last-minute flights so they don’t have to self-isolate for two weeks once back in Britain.

However, holidaymakers are reporting huge price hikes for their journeys back, with some having to pay out three times more than they planned.

Others face a dramatic race against time, with one visitor’s flight set to land at 4.20am, while accountant Julie Frew has a tight window of just three hours between her scheduled arrival back in Birmingham and the cut-off point.

The 46-year-old has been in Crete for nearly two weeks with partner David Wort, 48, and is anxious that any slight delay on the journey home could mean both have to quarantine, as well as daughter, Lauren, 23, and her two small children who are due back at nursery over the coming days.

She told MailOnline: ‘It’s definitely going to be a case of biting our fingernails over the next 24 hours.

Julie Frew and David Wort arrive back in the UK just three hours before the quarantine deadline and fear the consequences of a delay to their flight

A graph shows the surge in prices for flights from Zakynthos to Birmingham after Monday's announcement

A graph shows the surge in prices for flights from Zakynthos to Birmingham after Monday’s announcement

A graph shows the surge in prices for flights from Santorini to Manchester after Monday's announcement

A graph shows the surge in prices for flights from Santorini to Manchester after Monday’s announcement

‘I don’t understand it because if anything it seems safer here than in the UK.

‘It’s been very quiet, there’s barely anyone on the beaches, all the staff wear masks and there are hand-sanitisers on every table.

‘It’s not like it’s a party island, everything shuts down by midnight, and I think they’ve only had one or two cases reported a day for the last few weeks compared to our thousands – we had no concerns coming here.

‘The government just don’t seem to know what they’re doing, they’re quoting different numbers and it’s like they’re playing Russian Roulette.

‘Both of us are very angry and frustrated about it because we’ve followed the rules throughout lockdown and it feels like we might be punished.

‘We’ve been looking forward to this holiday for months and it’s been a well-deserved break away from a very hard year.

‘Thankfully neither of us are in a position where we’d lose jobs or pay as a result of quarantine but I’m sure plenty of others face that threat.’

Author Fiona Perrin, who has been celebrating her tenth anniversary with husband Alan O’Reilly on the island, booked an earlier flight to come home but had to shall out more than treble the initial cost. 

She said: ‘We were planning to come back on the Wednesday and thought we’d be fine because the quarantine list is normally announced later in the week.

‘It was just the shock of seeing the price surge before our eyes, literally as I went to get my credit card, I looked up and it had risen again, it was extraordinary. 

‘We need to get back for work and because we’re renovating a house, which is six months behind schedule as a result of Covid and we didn’t want to shut our building site down again.

‘Luckily in our case it’s not too catastrophic but I think there will be a lot of people who will have to take two weeks without pay.’ 

In his announcement in the Commons, Mr Shapps said that he was stopping short of following Scotland’s example by slapping restrictions on arrivals from Greece as a whole.

The grim news came as the Cabinet minister revealed that the quarantine system for England is being overhauled to take account of the widely different risk profile presented by some islands. 

The Joint Biosecurity Centre will now consider islands separately from their mainland where possible.

‘For the first time we have the data and the capacity to add and remove specific islands from quarantine while still providing maximum protection for the public,’ he told MPs. 

However, despite the move by the Transport Secretary to add more destinations to the ‘red’ list, England’s approach to imposing quarantine remains less severe than both Scotland and Wales. Scotland has imposed travel quarantine on the whole of Greece while Wales has banned travel to a larger number of Greek islands.   

The Transport Secretary revealed that Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete (pictured), Santorini and Zakynthos are being added to the 'red' list as of 4am on Wednesday

The Transport Secretary revealed that Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete (pictured), Santorini and Zakynthos are being added to the ‘red’ list as of 4am on Wednesday

Greece as a whole is still well below the threshold for the UK considering quarantine measures - but some of the Greek islands have higher case numbers

Greece as a whole is still well below the threshold for the UK considering quarantine measures – but some of the Greek islands have higher case numbers

Matt Hancock says government wants to test arrivals in the UK for Covid ‘as soon as it’s practical’ to halve two-week quarantine 

Matt Hancock today insisted coronavirus testing for arrivals in the UK will be introduced ‘as soon as it is practical’.

The Health Secretary said the government recognised how much strain the requirement for 14-day quarantine was putting on the travel industry.

He warned that doing just one test at the airport ‘doesn’t work’ as too many asymptomatic cases would be missed. 

But he confirmed that the government is working on a plan for screening incomers after around eight days, which could potentially halve the quarantine period. 

‘It is one of the things that we are looking to being in as soon as it is practical to do so,’ Mr Hancock told an LBC radio phone-in. 

Ministers have been rattled by mounting Tory anger over the disastrous quarantine policy, with claims that 110,000 jobs linked to the aviation industry are at stake.

The arrangements have been cast into further doubt as the UK’s number of cases are now nearing the threshold at which it imposes isolation rules on other countries. 

The government is considering two options to open up the skies and help rescue the Covid-ravaged economy.

Under the first, passengers would be given an airport test on arrival followed by a second test a few days later. The second option is for a single test after five to eight days of self-isolation.

But aviation chiefs are furious at the slow pace of progress and want a firm commitment to border tests by the end of the week.  

The Foreign Office has updated its guidance to advise against all but essential travel to the seven islands, but not Greece more widely. 

The announcement was broadly welcomed by the holiday industry as a step in the right direction.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: ‘It’s to be warmly welcomed that the Government is amending its quarantine policy – opening up some islands to British tourists again without them having to quarantine.

‘Regional corridors are vital to keep travel and tourism alive and well, and I hope it removes the confusion of different UK governments pursuing different approaches to individual countries.

‘It’s sad news for the Greek islands who can’t yet open up but I hope this policy provides impetus for them to get their cases under control.’

But there were complaints that the government is acting too slowly. 

A spokesman for British Airways’ owner IAG said: ‘It was evident back in July that islands should be treated separately. The Government is being too slow in making obvious decisions.

‘For most families summer is now over and the damage to the industry and the economy is done. On testing, we need to get on with it. We are way behind other countries on what has to be a more nuanced approach.’

Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon criticised the Government’s handling of the pandemic, describing its response as ‘chaotic’.

He said: ‘The Government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis has been nothing short of chaotic. At almost every turn, it lacked a clear strategy and this failure has been acutely felt in aviation.

‘For months, even when the virus was at its peak, millions of passengers were coming from all over the world without any restrictions placed upon them at all. By the time restrictions were introduced, we were one of only a handful of countries in the world who up to that point had failed to take action in bringing restrictions in place.’ 

It came after Matt Hancock insisted coronavirus testing for arrivals in the UK will be introduced ‘as soon as it is practical’ to ease the quarantine measures.

The Health Secretary said the government recognised how much strain the requirement for 14-day isolation was putting on the travel industry.

He warned that doing just one test at the airport ‘doesn’t work’ as too many asymptomatic cases would be missed. 

But he confirmed that the government is working on a plan for screening incomers after around eight days, which could potentially halve the quarantine period. 

‘It is one of the things that we are looking to being in as soon as it is practical to do so,’ Mr Hancock told an LBC radio phone-in. 

Ministers have been rattled by mounting Tory anger over the disastrous quarantine policy, with claims that 110,000 jobs linked to the aviation industry are at stake.

The arrangements have been cast into further doubt as the UK’s number of cases are now nearing the threshold at which it imposes isolation rules on other countries. 

The government is considering two options to open up the skies and help rescue the Covid-ravaged economy.

Under the first, passengers would be given an airport test on arrival followed by a second test a few days later. The second option is for a single test after five to eight days of self-isolation.

But aviation chiefs are furious at the slow pace of progress and want a firm commitment to border tests by the end of the week.  

Grant Shapps told the Commons that he was stopping short of following Scotland's example by slapping restrictions on arrivals from Greece as a whole

Grant Shapps told the Commons that he was stopping short of following Scotland’s example by slapping restrictions on arrivals from Greece as a whole

During an LBC radio phone-in today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government recognised how much strain 14-day quarantine was putting on the travel industry

During an LBC radio phone-in today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government recognised how much strain 14-day quarantine was putting on the travel industry

Airport chief executives claimed testing, alongside other measures, could save 110,000 jobs industry-wide. Pictured: Arrivals at Heathrow

Airport chief executives claimed testing, alongside other measures, could save 110,000 jobs industry-wide. Pictured: Arrivals at Heathrow

The quarantine arrangements have been cast into further doubt as the UK's number of cases are now nearing the threshold at which it imposes isolation rules on other countries

The quarantine arrangements have been cast into further doubt as the UK’s number of cases are now nearing the threshold at which it imposes isolation rules on other countries

Airport bosses from Britain’s largest transport hubs have warned Boris Johnson that he risks ‘irreparable damage’ to the economy if quarantining upon arrival is not scrapped. Pictured: Passenger wearing face covering has temperature checked

Airport bosses from Britain’s largest transport hubs have warned Boris Johnson that he risks ‘irreparable damage’ to the economy if quarantining upon arrival is not scrapped. Pictured: Passenger wearing face covering has temperature checked

Bahrain dropped second Covid test after just 0.2% were positive 

Bahrain dropped quarantine for arrivals who were tested at airports after discovering only a tiny proportion went on to develop coronavirus.

The Gulf state originally introduced a two-test system, with passengers screened on landing and then again after 10 days of self-isolation.

The system is similar to that now being considered by ministers in the UK.

However, Bahrain abandoned the quarantine requirement after concluding that the risk of people developing the disease later was miniscule.

Just 0.2 per cent – one in 500 people – who were negative on arrival tested positive 10 days later, according to the authorities. The second test is still carried out, but there is no need to isolate until that result.

Leaders from the likes of Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Luton have set the Prime Minister a seven-day deadline to replace mandatory self-isolation with Covid-19 testing at airports.

In the letter seen by the Daily Telegraph – also addressed to Chancellor Rishi Sunak – 20 airport chief executives claimed testing, alongside other measures, could save 110,000 jobs industry-wide.

Having already lost over £4billion due to reduced traffic during the pandemic, they wrote: ‘We cannot currently envisage an end to this struggle, and without robust Government support there is real possibility of irreparable damage being done to our once world-beating aviation sector.’

Led by Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, conservative chair of the Airport Operators’ Association, the signatories stressed that testing, along with regional travel corridors, were critical to opening up travel.

It is also believed scores of Tory MPs will today urge the government to back testing in airports to remove a ‘barrier to travel’. 

TUI managing director Andrew Flintham also criticised the lack of testing at airports last night, writing in the Daily Telegraph: ‘This Government wants to get people back to work – but what happens when there’s no work for people to come back to.’ 

In a boost for the Mail’s campaign, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab yesterday said a testing regime was under review but would be ‘no silver bullet’ to end quarantine.

But aviation chiefs are furious at the slow pace of progress and want a firm commitment to border tests by the end of the week.

Ministers are now leaning toward the idea of a single Covid-19 test eight days after arrival to cut travel quarantine times by almost half. 

The single test would see travellers swabbed at an NHS testing centre or given home kits. A negative result would allow for early release from the 14-day quarantine rule.

Airlines welcomed the move but warned time is fast running out. Industry leaders want ministers to commit to testing this week, with a firm timeline for implementation.

They fear failure will wreck hopes of a rise in bookings over the autumn half term and lead to mass redundancies when the furlough scheme ends next month. Scores of Tory MPs and business chiefs are supporting the Daily Mail’s campaign for Covid-19 tests at ports and airports and save thousands of jobs.

Led by Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, conservative chair of the Airport Operators’ Association, the signatories stressed that testing, along with regional travel corridors, were critical to opening up travel

Led by Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, conservative chair of the Airport Operators’ Association, the signatories stressed that testing, along with regional travel corridors, were critical to opening up travel

Bosses from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Luton set the Prime Minister a seven-day deadline to replace mandatory self-isolation with Covid-19 testing on arrival

Bosses from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Luton set the Prime Minister a seven-day deadline to replace mandatory self-isolation with Covid-19 testing on arrival

There is growing frustration at the Prime Minister’s insistence that a single test on arrival would only detect 7 per cent of coronavirus cases.

Public health experts and industry leaders have accused Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of ignoring an official Sage science advisers’ report showing tests five days after arrival will detect 85 per cent of cases and 96 per cent after eight days. They also point out that the 7 per cent figure is based on a three-month-old Public Health England model that does not account for real-world data from 30 countries that have introduced airport testing regimes.

Ministers have stoked further confusion by failing to clarify whether the 7 per cent figure refers only to asymptomatic carriers or to all coronavirus cases.

One Tory MP said: ‘There is a growing realisation that Downing Street might have got the wrong end of the stick on all this.

‘It is possible the risk of airport testing is being dramatically over-estimated.’

Sir David Spiegelhalter, a Cambridge University professor and one of the UK’s top statisticians, yesterday described the Government’s defence of 14-day quarantine as ‘hopelessly wrong’.

There is growing frustration at the Prime Minister's insistence that a single test on arrival would only detect 7 per cent of coronavirus cases

There is growing frustration at the Prime Minister’s insistence that a single test on arrival would only detect 7 per cent of coronavirus cases

He said even if only 7 per cent of cases were picked up ‘the vast majority of people will have correct negative tests’.

He described a single test on arrival as a ‘straw man’ and called for ‘proper cost-effectiveness analysis of reasonable repeat strategies’.

Senior Tories, including a number of former transport ministers, are now calling on Downing Street to carry out a review of data from countries with airport testing. One former minister told the Mail: ‘They keep referring to this out-dated and questionable 7 per cent figure. I’m hoping it is a fig leaf while they work out how to do a reverse ferret.’

Sir Graham Brady, leader of the 1922 committee of backbenchers, said: ‘The variety of tests available means that there are a number ways of having far greater confidence that passengers are not carrying infection.

‘This can also be done by means of a double-test with tests taken a few days apart from each other.

‘Britain’s aviation industry is on its knees and this country has lagged behind all its main competitors in terms of getting an airport regime in place.

‘This should be done urgently while we still have a world-leading aviation industry.’

Tory MP Henry Smith, whose constituency includes Gatwick, said: ‘Boris and Shapps need to start looking at other countries which have introduced airport testing. These are big economies which we compete with. If it’s working for them, why not us?

Official Sage science advisers’ report showing tests five days after arrival will detect 85 per cent of cases and 96 per cent after eight days but Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) have been accused of ignoring this

Official Sage science advisers’ report showing tests five days after arrival will detect 85 per cent of cases and 96 per cent after eight days but Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) have been accused of ignoring this

‘No system is fool-proof. That goes for testing as well as quarantine. But I would argue that airport tests are a far more fool proof then a blanket 14-day quarantine that relies almost entirely on trusting the public to comply.’

Former Tory health secretary Lord Lansley told Times Radio the quarantine policy should be ditched in time for half term.

As many as 40 Tory MPs are preparing to rebel against 14-day quarantine ahead of a Commons debate on aviation on Thursday.Asked if the quarantine time could be cut to eight days, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Maar Show: ‘The direction of travel will be making sure we have the capacity and the ability for when the time is right to ease up on the self-isolation at home, and that’s certainly something that we’ll be looking at.’ But he cautioned: ‘Let’s just be clear about this when we think about airports – there is no silver bullet in airports.’

Airlines UK, the trade body representing British carriers, is pushing for shorter five-day quarantine. Chief executive Tim Alderslade said: ‘The Government’s modelling says that if you undertake a test on day five the percentage of asymptomatic carriers caught rises to 85 per cent.

‘So if the Government is not happy to introduce a regime based on one test on arrival, it could introduce a regime based on a day five test, but at the same time run a trial testing both on arrival and at day 5.

‘This would provide real-world data which we hope would enable the Government to move to a one test on arrival system.’

A Whitehall source told the Mail: ‘There is a live discussion in Government over the possibility of a two-step testing regime to replace quarantine. But it will depend on a number of other factors such as testing capacity.’

Europe is taking off again… as UK remains grounded 

By Transport Correspondent

Britain lags behind most of Europe when it comes to re-opening the skies, damning figures reveal.

Passenger numbers were down by 73 per cent year-on-year in August, according to data from Airports Council International seen by the Daily Mail.

This compares unfavourably to data from countries where airport testing regimes have been put in place.

In France, passenger numbers were down by only 60 per cent and in Italy by 62 per cent. Most countries in eastern Europe were down by 68 per cent and in southern Europe, including Spain and Portugal, by 65 per cent.

Airport bosses said the figures prove the UK is trailing behind dozens of other countries which offer or accept Covid tests at airports.

In another blow to Britain’s status as an aviation heavyweight, figures show Frankfurt airport and Charles de Gaulle in Paris carried more passengers over the past few months than Heathrow – for the first time in history.

Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, told the Mail: ‘There is no surprise that, with quarantine measures constantly changing, and no sign of a testing regime, UK aviation has suffered through its worst summer in a generation.

‘The Government needs to work quickly with the industry to ensure further, irreparable damage to our once world-leading aviation sector does not occur.

‘A robust testing regime for international travellers is one solution which could help secure the restart of UK aviation and UK PLC.’

Aviation bosses backing the Mail’s Get Britain Flying campaign have warned we will lose our status as a global trading superpower unless ministers take urgent action. Writing in the Mail last week, Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye warned: ‘If the Government doesn’t get a grip and reopen our borders safely, Britain will fall behind.

‘If EU airports thrive, while the UK’s hub declines, then Brexit Britain will rely on European hubs to get their global goods to market… Britain will become a vassal state of the EU, just after we have left.’

Fly Out To Help Out? Rishi could cut tax on tickets

By Tom Payne, Transport Correspondent for the Daily Mail

The price of plane tickets for holidaymakers could be cut by the Chancellor under plans to get Britain flying again.

At least 24 Tories, including Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, are pressuring Rishi Sunak to suspend air passenger duty until the end of summer next year.

The tax on flights from UK airports is charged to airlines but much of the cost is passed onto holidaymakers. It can add £13 to every short-haul ticket and £78 to long-haul fares.

Last night the Treasury hinted that changes could be made in the autumn Budget after the transport committee called for a six-month suspension.

At least 24 Tories are pressuring Rishi Sunak (pictured) to suspend air passenger duty until the end of summer next year

At least 24 Tories are pressuring Rishi Sunak (pictured) to suspend air passenger duty until the end of summer next year

An official statement said: ‘The Chancellor has announced that there will be a consultation on aviation tax reform.

‘As part of this, the Government will consider the case for changing the air passenger duty (APD) treatment of domestic flights, such as reintroducing a return leg exemption, and for increasing the number of international distance bands.’

Research by York Aviation, a research consultancy used by Ministers, found waiving the duty would generate £8billion for the economy. This is three times the amount it had been expected to bring into the Treasury’s coffers in 2019-20.

Tory MP Henry Smith, whose constituency includes Gatwick airport, is urging Mr Sunak to grant an APD holiday to struggling airlines.

In a letter to the Chancellor, he said: ‘If we maintain our levels of air passenger duty, it will become a ‘tax on recovery’ as flying is the only viable route for investors and business people to approach and service existing and potential new markets.’

A suspension could allow airlines to entice holidaymakers with cheaper fares and save many of the 600 air routes lost as a result of the pandemic.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of Tui UK and Ireland, has warned that many companies would not survive unless flight levies were reduced immediately.

He said the industry was ‘on its knees’, adding: ‘We really need the Government to step in and help us.’ Airports are also calling on the Chancellor to waive business rates to help them cope with the collapse in travel. Regional airports have been hit particularly hard.

The Airport Operators Association recently warned 20,000 jobs will have to be cut without urgent relief.

Airports in England have paid more than £70million in business rates since March despite a 97 per cent slump in passenger numbers.

Sir Graham said yesterday: ‘The UK levies the highest rate of tax in the world on air passengers.

‘After months in which the Government has effectively shut down much of our aviation industry, particularly through its blunt instrument of quarantine, it is unrealistic to think the goose will continue laying golden eggs. A period of relief for APD would help the sector get back in the air.’

Mr Smith said: ‘In light of the way the aviation industry is struggling, we are calling for a scrapping of APD until the end of summer next year. This would be a way of encouraging people to travel.

‘We need to help the industry on a range of fronts and an important part of that is getting rid of flight levies.

‘Other measures include testing for passenger and an extension of the furlough scheme for the aviation industry.’

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We acted quickly to provide the aviation industry with an unprecedented package of support to help it through this exceptionally difficult period.’ This included loans, tax deferrals and the furlough scheme, he added.

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