UK could relax travel rule after Spanish reaction
The UK is evaluating ways to relax its confinement regulations to contain the coronavirus after the imposition of restrictions on travel with Spain provoked strong reactions from tourists, airlines and the Government in Madrid.
The measures the authorities are evaluating include removing wider restrictions on travel to entire countries to impose, instead, regional restrictions, and reducing the time that passengers arriving in Britain must remain in quarantine.
British Transport Minister Charlotte Vere unveiled on Tuesday, July 28, the Government's latest position in response to questions in the House of Lords, the Upper House of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
We are looking at all eventualities because we would like to reduce days in isolation if possible, said Vere. The United Kingdom is also evaluating imposing regional regulations to replace restrictions on an entire country, such as those imposed on Spain, she added. We could implement them for regions in the future, we are not there yet, but we are analyzing it because it is an appropriate consideration.
Her comments come after ministers advised the British to avoid spurious travel to Spain and that people arriving from Spanish airports were ordered to be quarantined for 14 days amid fears of an increase in cases.
'Misaligned'
The President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, described the measure of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson — which includes both areas of the country with low levels of the disease and sources of contagion — being misaligned. British authorities have insisted that the measures are necessary to combat the spread of the virus.
And on Tuesday, Johnson reinforced his warning that a new wave of contagions could force the UK to add more European countries to the list of outbreaks with serious contagion problems.
Without a doubt, I am afraid that we are now facing the threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and we just have to be vigilant and we must be very aware, Johnson told reporters near Nottingham, in central England.
Hours after Johnson spoke, authorities in Oldham, northern England, imposed stricter restrictions on its residents for two weeks to try to contain a local coronavirus outbreak.
British Transport Minister Charlotte Vere unveiled on Tuesday, July 28, the Government's latest position in response to questions in the House of Lords, the Upper House of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
We are looking at all eventualities because we would like to reduce days in isolation if possible, said Vere. The United Kingdom is also evaluating imposing regional regulations to replace restrictions on an entire country, such as those imposed on Spain, she added. We could implement them for regions in the future, we are not there yet, but we are analyzing it because it is an appropriate consideration.
Her comments come after ministers advised the British to avoid spurious travel to Spain and that people arriving from Spanish airports were ordered to be quarantined for 14 days amid fears of an increase in cases.
'Misaligned'
The President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, described the measure of the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson — which includes both areas of the country with low levels of the disease and sources of contagion — being misaligned. British authorities have insisted that the measures are necessary to combat the spread of the virus.
And on Tuesday, Johnson reinforced his warning that a new wave of contagions could force the UK to add more European countries to the list of outbreaks with serious contagion problems.
Without a doubt, I am afraid that we are now facing the threat of a second wave in other parts of Europe and we just have to be vigilant and we must be very aware, Johnson told reporters near Nottingham, in central England.
Hours after Johnson spoke, authorities in Oldham, northern England, imposed stricter restrictions on its residents for two weeks to try to contain a local coronavirus outbreak.