Spain quarantine rule may be dropped for some regions, minister hints

Boris Johnson warns of further restrictions triggered by feared 'second wave' of coronavirus in Europe

Holidaymakers wanting to visit Spain’s sunshine islands have been given a glimmer of hope as a government minister suggested that quarantine rules may be fine-tuned to allow travel to regions less affected by coronavirus.

Baroness Vere’s comment came as prime minister Boris Johnson warned of the possibility of further travel restrictions due to a “second wave” of the Covid-19 virus in Europe.

Mr Johnson defended Saturday’s decision to impose a controversial 14-day quarantine on holiday-makers returning from any part of Spain, including the popular Balearic and Canary Islands which are hundreds of miles from the mainland and have experienced far lower levels of infection.

But he signalled that ministers are considering reducing the minimum self-isolation period to 10 days by introducing an antigen test at eight days and allowing those found negative to return to normal life two days later

The quarantine decision, prompted by a sharp spike of cases in Spain over recent days and the discovery that 10 Britons had tested positive after returning from the country, has sparked a furious diplomatic row with Madrid, where prime minister Pedro Sanchez denounced it as “unjust”.

And UK claims that restrictions had to be imposed on a blanket countrywide basis were thrown into doubt after Germany advised its nationals to avoid only the worst-hit regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre.

Transport minister Lady Vere defended the decision in the House of Lords, but said that future measures could be imposed on a regional basis. She gave no timeframe for any change, which is not understood to be imminent. Pressed on timing, a Department for Transport spokesperson said only that “the government keeps the border measures under constant review”.

“For the time being, we are taking the approach by country for border measures but it is the case that it could be that we put them in place for regions in the future,” the Baroness told the House of Lords. “We are not there yet but we are certainly looking at it because it is an appropriate consideration.”

Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Madrid was working on convincing London to soften its stance.

“We are still talking to British authorities, explaining that the outbreaks in Spain are under control ... and making sure that the measures taken by Britain respond to epidemiological criteria and no other criteria that have nothing to do with Covid,” said Ms Gonzalez.

Britons are the biggest group of foreign tourists in Spain, with the 18 million visitors last year making up a fifth of the total, ahead of 11.2 million Germans.

Spain’s tourist trade body has estimated that the UK’s quarantine alone could cost the sector €10bn (£9.1bn) in lost revenue.

Speaking during a visit to Nottingham, Mr Johnson defended his government’s response, saying: “What we have to do is take swift and decisive action where we think that the risks are starting to bubble up again.

“Let’s be absolutely clear about what’s happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends, I’m afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic.”

It is understood that chief medical officer Chris Whitty told a meeting of the cabinet’s CO (coronavirus operations) committee on Saturday that “something must be done” after it emerged that a “statistically significant” 10 cases this month involved people who visited Spain after it was included on a list of countries exempted from quarantine requirements on 10 July.

But a Whitehall source played down suggestions that the infected holidaymakers were the “clincher” in the decision to remove Spain from the list, pointing instead to statistics showing new cases appearing at a rate three times that of the UK and well ahead of other tourism destinations like Italy and Greece.

Figures released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed that Spain has recorded 47.2 new Covid cases per 100,000 population over the past 14 days.

This compares with 15 for the UK, 16 for France, 8.8 in Germany, 5.1 in Italy and 3.7 in Greece.

Infection rates for every 100,000 inhabitants were highest in the Aragon region, at over 120, as well as Catalonia and Navarre, where the figure was between 60 and 119.

Valencia Airport in Spain (EPA)

Amid speculation that Belgium, France or Germany may be the next countries to lose their exemptions, the PM said it was up to individuals to decide whether they want to take the risk of going abroad in the present circumstances.

“These are decisions for families, for individuals, about where they want to go,” he said.

“I’m afraid if we do see signs of a second wave in other countries it is really our job, our duty, to act swiftly and decisively to stop … travellers coming back from those places seeding the disease here in the UK.”

Raising the prospect of further quarantine orders, Mr Johnson said the government will “continue throughout the summer to take such action where it is necessary”.

Asked about reports the 14-day quarantine period could be reduced, Mr Johnson said: “We are always looking at ways in which we can mitigate the impact of the quarantine, try to help people, try to make sure that the science is working to help travellers and holidaymakers.

“At the moment you have got to stick with the guidance that we are giving, we have given the guidance now about Spain and about some other places around the world.”

Labour appealed for financial support for travellers forced to self-isolate after returning from Spain.

The party’s leader in the Lords Baroness Smith of Basildon told peers that the government was being “totally irresponsible” in failing to make provision for “the practicalities and the financial impact of self-isolation”.

But Tory peer Baroness Buscombe retorted that it would be “extraordinary and wrong” to “spend yet more of taxpayers’ money on people who have chosen to take risks by travelling, mostly for pleasure, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic”.

And Lady Vere said: “Whenever one travels during a pandemic or otherwise there are always risks… that are simply not present when one is at home.

“At the moment with the pandemic, the risks are certainly much higher – but they can be mitigated by travel insurance, but also by looking at those travel providers who offer travellers flexibility.”