Thousand of Brits on holiday rushed home after their government announced a mandatory two-week self-isolation for travellers returning from France and the Netherlands, among other countries.
The UK government claims to have had no other choice in combatting the coronavirus, and does not come to the aid of those affected. After all, they had been warned that it was better not to travel, said Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, who himself was surprised by a quarantine measure on holiday in Spain a month ago, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
Some British media claim that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government is engaged in a "quarantine fiasco" and because of the unpredictability of the policy "a quarantine roulette."
Late on Thursday, Shapps suddenly announced the quarantine measure, and said it would take effect at midnight on Sunday. Later in the evening, he posted on Twitter that he meant 4:00 AM local time on Saturday.
Data shows we need to remove France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos & Aruba from our list of #coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN. If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 13, 2020
Last night, thousands of Brits rushed home as they tried to arrive before the deadline.
Eurotunnel trains sold out and air fares were up to six times more than normal, but ferries increased capacity, reports BBC.
Some airlines allegedly abused the "return panic" as a flight from Paris to London with British Airways that initially cost €73 went up to €500 after the announcement.
According to observers in the sector, confidence in the travel and flying industry in Great Britain has suffered enormous damage.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
