Heathrow tells UK: do passenger testing or lose 'quarantine roulette'

[snoop1130]

Heathrow tells UK: do passenger testing or lose 'quarantine roulette'

By Sarah Young

 

A traveller wearing a face mask walks at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in London, Britain, July 26, 2020. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Heathrow Airport, once Europe's busiest airport, called on Britain to urgently back a passenger testing regime, warning that without one, the country's strict quarantine rules will stop travel, stall the economy and lead to more job losses.

 

Heathrow said that to avoid losing a game of global "quarantine roulette", the government should change its rules to cut quarantine from 14 days to around eight days for passengers who take two tests over the course of a week.

 

The worst public health crisis since the 1918 influenza outbreak has wrought economic turmoil across the world and just as the travel industry restarted there are now fears of a second wave of shutdowns after Britain hastily imposed a quarantine on travellers from Spain.

 

"The UK needs a passenger testing regime and fast," Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said. "Without it, Britain is just playing a game of quarantine roulette."

 

The cost of having a coronavirus test at the airport would be about 150 pounds ($195) per person and the passenger would be expected to pay, Holland-Kaye told Reuters on Wednesday.

 

While he conceded that it was not cheap, he said consumers and business travellers would be prepared to pay, and it would help Britain protect its aviation industry, which has already announced over 20,000 job cuts, and facilitate trade.

 

"We are an island nation - we cannot cut ourselves off from the world for the foreseeable future," Holland-Kaye told the BBC. "We've got to find a way of keeping people safe from a second wave but also getting the economy going again."

 

Quarantine rules are in place for arrivals to Britain from the United States, a lucrative market for Heathrow accounting for 20% of its traffic, as well as other countries such as India and Spain.

 

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

 

Responding to Heathrow's criticism, a minister said there was no easy solution to allow quarantine-free travel from countries with higher infection rates.

 

"It can incubate over a period of time so there's not a silver bullet of just testing immediately at the border," Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told the BBC.

 

But Holland-Kaye said the government was receptive to Heathrow's double testing plan, which needs agreement that two tests, one on arrival and one either five or eight days later, can reduce the number of days a person spends quarantining.

 

"They've certainly come alive to that in the last few days following the Spain experience with the realisation that there needs to be an alternative," he said.

 

Heathrow said it was trialling testing with companies Swissport and Collinson Group and the system could be up and running within two weeks.

 

The test would add a significant cost to the cost of travel, with Heathrow's biggest operator British Airways selling European tickets from about 50 pounds and tickets to the United States from about 400 pounds.

 

The potential extra cost illustrates the challenge to airlines desperate to fill planes and start generating profits again after the pandemic wiped out air travel for months.

 

Airports are also suffering. Heathrow passenger numbers fell 96% in the second quarter on revenue which was down 85% pushing the airport to a 1.1 billion pound loss for the first six months of the year. Despite the loss, the airport said its finances remained robust.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-29

 

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[Bender Rodriguez]

europe, lol ... 20+ countries, 20+ different taxation, labor laws, etc...

 

brexit ... for when again ?

[dunroaming]

Desperation from Heathrow and the travel industry in general.  The pandemic is a long way from being over and it get's more and more likely that there will be a "second wave" in many countries.  people are saying a second wave or second spike but in reality the first wave isn't over yet and the cases are slowly rising again in many places including some in Britain.

 

There could be a double dip and that will really hurt the economy even more.  It will be more pressure on the government as well as they are going to be unwilling to continue the furlough money for much longer.

[dexterm]

OP..>>Responding to Heathrow's criticism, a minister said there was no easy solution to allow quarantine-free travel from countries with higher infection rates.

 

..oh yes there is!

 

New Zealand introduced a ban on all foreign travel on 19 March over 4 months ago and a total lockdown for several weeks. Result NZ now completely covid free apart from the odd returning resident from an infected country...detected through compulsory 14 day quarantine for every flight.

 

UK still hasn't done so. Result: continued flailing about wondering what went wrong.

 

Can you imagine if the whole world (with strong leadership and co-operation) had reacted as strictly as New Zealand did. A few weeks of short sharp inconvenience, then we'd have all been back to normal by now as Kiwis are dining out, partying in bars, attending sporting events and church all completely free of fear.

 

Politicians trying to protect their own butts by thinking they are saving the economy, will simply end up in a bigger mess than before. C virus knows no political allegiances.

Edited July 30, 2020 by dexterm

[elliss]

 

 London Heathrow , will soon return to rural green land..

  Covid 19 . Mother Nature wins , naturally ..

[Scouse123]

4 hours ago, dexterm said:

OP..>>Responding to Heathrow's criticism, a minister said there was no easy solution to allow quarantine-free travel from countries with higher infection rates.

 

..oh yes there is!

 

New Zealand introduced a ban on all foreign travel on 19 March over 4 months ago and a total lockdown for several weeks. Result NZ now completely covid free apart from the odd returning resident from an infected country...detected through compulsory 14 day quarantine for every flight.

 

UK still hasn't done so. Result: continued flailing about wondering what went wrong.

 

Can you imagine if the whole world (with strong leadership and co-operation) had reacted as strictly as New Zealand did. A few weeks of short sharp inconvenience, then we'd have all been back to normal by now as Kiwis are dining out, partying in bars, attending sporting events and church all completely free of fear.

 

Politicians trying to protect their own butts by thinking they are saving the economy, will simply end up in a bigger mess than before. C virus knows no political allegiances.

 

 

Population New Zealand 4.8 million people.

Population London only 9 million

Population United Kingdom 67 million.

 

Apples and Oranges!

 

New Zealand is a far flung island, (beautiful as it is), it is hardly an international hub.

[Pinoydave]

Quote

 

Really can’t understand the government’s reluctance to test everyone on arrival...... ensure everyone downloads a tracking app..... against the law to delete the app within a fortnight 

[dexterm]

9 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

 

Population New Zealand 4.8 million people.

Population London only 9 million

Population United Kingdom 67 million.

 

Apples and Oranges!

 

New Zealand is a far flung island, (beautiful as it is), it is hardly an international hub.

I don't think population size is the only criterion. Thailand has 69 million and they managed to restrict flights and introduce strict lockdown (eventually). There's much less fear living in Thailand or New Zealand these days.

 

But I agree to some extent. If most of the major developed countries in the world don't take the same draconian measures then what sort of world is it where some people are living in bubble countries and suffering economies, while others are living in virus ridden ones with disastrous economies.

 

Roll on the great leveller...a vaccine.