SPANISH IMPOSITION
Chaos as 600,000 Brit holidaymakers in Spain face unplanned two-week quarantine when they fly home
BRITS jetting back from Spain faced chaos today after being told they would have to go into an unplanned two-week quarantine.
It is estimated some 600,000 Brits will be impacted by the collapse of the air bridge as the Government made the sudden announcement last night.
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Holidaymakers have been left scrambling to make arrangements for self-isolation to avoid massive fines.
After a spike in coronavirus cases in Spain, travellers in the country - including island hotspots like Majorca and Ibiza - will now be forced to quarantine for two weeks upon returning home to the UK.
The announcement will affect up to 600,000 people currently in Spain and 1.8million overall, the Mirror reported.
The Foreign Office has also warned against "all but essential travel" to mainland Spain - though this advice does not cover the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands.
Brits currently abroad don't have to cut their holidays short, but the advice has left many confused.
Teacher Zeta Hill, 35, is due to fly home with husband Stuart, 51,
from a 12-day break in Mallorca on Tuesday.
Useful links to help navigate the latest advice
- Here's our Spanish quarantine guide
- How to find out if you are at risk of losing money
- If 'safe air corridors' with the UK and Majorca and Ibiza are still on the cards
- Tui has cancelled flights to Spain
She branded the decision to include the Balearic islands in the announcement as "illogical" and accused the government of "encouraging" foreign travel.
Zeta told The Sun: "We are not on mainland Spain and cases on the islands have been really low.
"A few weeks back people in the UK were crowding on the beaches
and yet there will have been no consequences for them. This does not make any sense."
Johny Pach, 36, from Leatherhead, Surrey, fumed: “We were in Spain for a week and had a holiday booked. The beaches were absolutely packed.
"We're now in quarantine for two weeks and it's going to cause a lot of disruption.
“I've got my own business and I'll be at home. I don't know how we're going to get to Tesco and stuff.“
This morning, Dominic Raab this morning said it was ";absolutely necessary" to make this decision.
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Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge this morning the Foreign Secretary admitted it would be "disruptive" for thousands of people currently in Spain who will have to isolate when they get back.
He said that the fact Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was in Spain and would have to isolate on his return too "shows you the risks for everyone".
Mr Raab also warned that more countries could be removed from the UK's safet travel list.
Holidaymakers who landed from Barcelona shortly before 9am this morning are fuming over the decision and the inconvenience it has caused.
Jill Witte, 53, arriving back in the country with her two daughters and husband, said the quarantine rule changes would "massively" inconvenience the family.
She said: "We were shocked, it didn't look like that was coming, otherwise we wouldn't have gone."
Hannah, 24, said this will affect when she can start work again.
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She said: "We were supposed to return work at the beginning of August, so I'm now going to have to stay away again for another week. "
Thomas Wright, 27, a carpenter from North London, who was returning from a business trip to Barcelona, said the quarantine rule change will affect him "quite badly" as he will be unable to work.
Sharon, 50, said: "It was just a bit of a shock, it would have been nice if there was a little bit more warning. It just seems to be really, really quick."
Philip Bradby, 55, and Marina Wilson, 40, from Bournemouth, said they had returned from holiday early because of the quarantine announcement.
Mr Bradby said: "I think it's quite poor that they did it so instantaneously."
Ms Wilson, who has a nine-year-old daughter, added: "They basically changed the rules halfway through which puts us in a very awkward position and lot's of things to arrange."
Quarantine: your questions answered
What happens when anybody arrives from Spain?
Travellers returning to the UK from Spanish mainland, the Canary Islands and Balearics will have to fill out a form declaring where they will be for the next 14 days and stay put.
What if I refuse to give my address or break quarantine?
Fines start at £100 for failing to fill in the form in England. Breaching the self-isolation will result in a £1,000 penalty for UK citizens or possible deportation for foreign nationals.
Is anyone exempt from quarantine?
Foreign diplomats and those who travel regularly to and from the UK, such as lorry drivers and medical workers, are not covered by the rules. Elite sports such as Formula One and Champions League footballers are also exempt, providing they create "bubbles".
What happens if I have to be back at work the next day?
It is up to your employer to grant you time off. Before last night there was no automatic compensation for people who miss work or lose business due to quarantine.
Are all parts of Spain on the 'don't travel' black list?
Separately, the Foreign Office says to avoid all but essential travel to mainland Spain, but this does not extend to the Canary Islands and Balerarics. However, holidaymakers in all parts of Spain including the islands WILL have to quarantine.
Why is this necessary?
A fresh outbreak of the virus in Spain has increased the risk of tourists spreading the infection in the UK. The Government says the measures are backed by science and will help prevent a second wave imported from abroad.
Brits flying back to the UK from the Costa del Sol today vented their anger at the shock decision.
It is estimated some 600,000 have been impacted by the snap rule change.
Aviation analyst Alex Machera said: "They were calling them air bridges and said go and enjoy your holiday. But there was never a strategy to make air travel and Covid-19 as safe as possible.
'They have encouraged hundreds of thousands to go to Spain, and I don't think this will be the only country where we see this.
"For the airlines, this will be a second repatriation of Brits. It's a nightmare."
NHS worker Peter Anderson, 49, from Cumbria, is flying from boarding Malaga to Liverpool with wife Gaynor, 47, and son Thomas, six.
Mrs Anderson said: “We only found out about the quarantine last night. We tried to change the flight back but we were still round the pool and the only one leaving that would have got us back before midnight was departing an hour later so it was too late.
“We wouldn’t have come to Spain if we’d known we were going to have to self-isolate when we got back. Not in a million years did we ever expect to find out the day before we were due to fly back.
“I think we should have got more notice, 24 to 48 hours at least, so we could have had more time to sort out alternative flights. That would have been more ideal.
“We’ve spent eight nights at an apartment in Calahonda near Marbella. We’ve been out but only as a family unit with our face masks on in line with Spanish law.
“I know there are public health issues but it makes no sense to me that for the sake of seven hours or so we’re going to have to quarantine.”
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The latest Foreign Office advice says Brits don't need to cut their holidays short but there is widespread confusion as the announcement was only made last night.
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Brits in Spain do not need to self-quarantine but the country's foreign minister has previously warned restrictions could be imposed on Brits if the UK enforced quarantine measures while Spain did not.
In an interview with the BBC on June 16, Ms Gonzalez Laya said: "We will be checking what the UK will be doing and we will be in a dialogue with the UK to see whether or not we should be introducing reciprocity as they have different measures than the rest of the European Union."
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