Britain’s Coronavirus Quarantine Won’t Fly
The U.K.’s quarantine for inbound travelers will inflict economic damage on its $182.5 billion tourism market, and it may not be enforceable.
Headed for isolation?
Photographer: TOLGA AKMEN/AFPJust as coronavirus infections weaken, European countries lift foreign travel restrictions and people gear up for the possibility that we might actually get on an airplane again, one of the world’s largest tourism markets is effectively shutting down. Under rules to be finalized on Tuesday, anyone arriving in the U.K. from June 8, including returning Britons, will have to quarantine for 14 days, with a hefty fine levied on those found in breach of the rules.
The government claims that the quarantine is based on “the latest scientific evidence” and that it’s necessary to prevent further transmission of Covid-19. But, as with the 2-meter (6.5-foot) social-distancing rule I wrote about last week, the supporting evidence appears tenuous, while the economic impact from the measure will be substantial.