The Government’s announcement yesterday to introduce quarantine measures at UK airports and borders two months into the Covid-19 crisis is inexplicable.
Inexplicable primarily as, it wasn’t continued after introduction at the start of the pandemic.
In late February people arriving back from trips outside the UK, showing symptoms of Covid-19 were immediately quarantined. They were treated at specialist centres at the Royal Free Hospital, London, and the Royal Liverpool Hospital.
At some point we can’t identify, and we have tried to research it, Government policy changed. Self-regulated isolation seemed to replace health checks at our border entry points.
We questioned not checking 15,000 people arriving at Heathrow every day throughout the pandemic back in mid-April – Hospitality Closed Heathrow Open. And published in the same article a video interview where Piers Morgan asks The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, the same question. Matt Hancock is quite literally lost for words.
So, why after all this time and circa 15,000 x 60 = 900,000 people having entered the UK via Heathrow airport unchecked to date, would the Government now try to reintroduce health checks and quarantine measures.
We can’t finish with an answer, we have no idea why the 180 degree about turn is to be made, but it does beg one BIG question. If, having health checks on UK border entry points like Heathrow will reduce the spread of Covid-19, why wasn’t it done two months ago?
Mixed messaging from the Government has already caused huge confusion for the hospitality industry – Roadmap to hospitality chaos.
The latest announcement only gives an already badly damaged hospitality industry even more to deal with. The Government should be leading by solving problems, not passing them on.
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