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Govt investigating ways of reducing quarantine period
The Government has said it is investigating ways it can reduce the quarantine period for returning travellers but warned nothing is likely to imminently change.
Health secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News this morning that ministers were examining how it could shorten the 14-day period.
However, the key concern was a second wave of Covid which he said was "rolling across Europe".
The quarantine measures imposed on returning holidaymakers from Spain has crippled the already fragile industry.
And while any plan to reduce the quarantine period will be welcome, there remains widespread anger and frustration at what many in the industry feel is the arbitrary manner in which the government has approached the issue.
Many will feel a reduction in the quarantine period is too little too late.
Hancock said: "We’re always looking at how we can have the least-possible burden of the measures that we have to put into place so that is something on which we’re doing some work. We are working on whether by testing people during that quarantine it is safe to then be able to release them earlier.
He added: "But we’ll only come forward with a proposal when we’re confident that it is safe to do so, That’s something that we’re working on, but we’re not imminently making an announcement on it.
"So again this is very much guided by the clinical science and the CMO (chief medical officer) will be speaking on it later today, but the broader point is that there’s a serious concern about a second wave that’s clearly now moving across Europe and we need to take action."
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