Merkel and Macron are wary of welcoming British tourists this summer – and who can blame them?

Editorial: The prevalence of the Delta variant is the reason why why Britain may be about to squander the lead it enjoyed in rolling out the Covid-19 vaccines

(Dave Brown)

When Boris Johnson declares that this will not be a normal summer for travellers, no one, for a change, is able to accuse him of dissembling. Whereas even a few months ago, boosterish voices, not least Mr Johnson, were making optimistic noises about the formidably vaccinated British enjoying the freedom of the skies once again; today the options are severely limited – and narrowing almost by the day.

Malta, Madeira, the Balearic Islands and Barbados are among the destinations that are to be added to number of “green list” destinations. However, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has openly offered her influential opinion – and been backed by President Emmanuel Macron of France – that all European Union countries demand that British visitors quarantine on arrival in the union.

Her advice will no doubt be unwelcome in the southern European countries such as Spain, Greece and Portugal, who depend much more on the tourist trade than Germany does, loved though the Black Forest may be at this time of year. Those nations will no doubt have been cheered by the announcement by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, that the government intends – at some point – to allow UK residents who are fully vaccinated to skip quarantine when travelling back from amber list countries.

Bad as all these “known knowns” may be, even more damaging for the longer-term health of the travel and leisure sectors across Europe is the crippling uncertainty. Hence the note of caution from Mr Shapps in saying that details about the lack of the need to isolate for the double jabbed will come next month and that he anticipates this being introduced “later in the summer”.

A side issue, though a potent one politically, will be the impact on the Euro 2020 football tournament, and whether Uefa and the relevant governments press on with their illogical and unjustifiable quarantine exemptions for VIPs.

When it comes to the views of those on the continent – and with an England-Germany football match looming – there will be the usual accusations about the Germans and the EU being vindictive towards blameless British holidaymakers who want nothing more than to fund the bars and tavernas of the union and watch in the comfort of the Mediterranean sun the Welsh and English football squads play.

This caution will even be portrayed as another act of spite for Brexit. This is wrong. The travel problem is acute for the British for the simple reason that the British have, once again, some of the worst Covid infection rates in Europe, and they are at risk of exporting the disease to countries that have lower vaccination rates and less protection from the Delta variant.

It is precisely the logic that the British used – and should have used earlier – when they closed the border to travellers from India, and otherwise restricted travel to and from the UK.

The prevalence of the Delta variant is the reason why the so-called “freedom day” has been delayed, and why Britain may be about to squander the lead it enjoyed in rolling out the Covid vaccines. The blame for another Covid failure can be placed firmly on the home team.