Advertisement

There's only one thing that can save our travel industry now

Other countries have systems up and running to slash quarantine time - getty
Other countries have systems up and running to slash quarantine time - getty

Airport testing is primed and ready – why is our Government dragging its heels?

You might assume that the Prime Minister’s address to the nation last night and the balancing act which it represented went reasonably easy on the travel industry. He didn’t announce the sort of draconian restrictions which many feared would inflict major damage on our already battered and bruised tour operators, airlines and hoteliers. We are still free to travel, as long as we choose our destination carefully, or are willing to self-isolate on our return.

True, there has been consternation among organisers of group tours in the UK, and hoteliers and the owners of pubs and restaurants who will now have to cancel bookings and turf their customers out of bars and dining rooms by 10pm every night. And differing rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also complicate holiday arrangements for those crossing our internal borders.

The extension of the “rule of six” for “perhaps six months” also puts the kybosh on extended families and large groups of friends renting holiday houses over half term, Christmas and New Year. Families of more than six who already live together may be able to go ahead, but it’s looking highly unlikely that any more half a dozen people from more than one household will be able to gather or holiday together in this country before next Easter. (Ironically, as things stand, it would be perfectly legal for them all to book flights to say Tuscany, stay in a villa there and face no restrictions when they come home, but it’s strictly forbidden here.)

However, the much more serious news is what the Prime Minister didn’t say and the fact that he promised nothing more to help the travel industry deal with the current crisis. It is one of our key employers and among the sectors which has been hardest hit by the pandemic: as Covid-19 drags on, it is in growing jeopardy.

The furlough scheme, which is due to end next month, is the only thing which is currently allowing many tour operators and hotels to continue to function. Beyond that, there are only two things which will now save the hundreds of thousands of jobs and the huge amount of expertise it sustains.

Either the government extends this sort of direct financial support, or people need to feel confident enough to start travelling again.

For this to happen, we need a fundamental reform of the current quarantine system which is such a huge disincentive to bookings. A programme of testing all passengers on arrival at UK airports - as proposed in our Test4Travel campaign launched at the beginning of this month - would not be some wildly ambitious moonshot programme which depends on the development of new science and massive infrastructure. A reliable test that can produce a result in 40 minutes already exists and would cost the consumer less than £40. It would be an efficient and manageable way of significantly reducing the time people returning from abroad have to spend in isolation.

Heathrow airport has said it just needs approval from government and is “ready to go”. It has done several trials and already has a facility for screening passengers on arrival at Terminal 2.

Such a system wouldn’t eliminate the need for quarantine entirely. All passengers would have to take a second test a few days later, to confirm the initial result and avoid the risk of false negatives. But the length of time you would have to spend in isolation would reduce from 14 days to five. That would surely make a huge difference to the willingness of many to start travelling again.

Over the last three weeks the momentum behind the campaign has grown rapidly. Willie Walsh, head of the company that owns BA, and the chief executives of Heathrow Airport and Virgin Atlantic as well as leaders in the cruise industry, many tour operators, hoteliers such as Rocco Forte, a group of 80 MPs, former Prime Minister, Theresa May and leading health experts Professor Karol Sikora and Dr Charlie Easmon have all spoken out for the need for a testing regime to reduce or replace quarantine rules.

Just as importantly, travellers like the idea too. A survey for Telegraph Travel by The PC Agency and AudienceNet, showed that of those who expressed an opinion, 73 per cent preferred the idea of a two-part test to the current 14-day self-isolation rule. And among Telegraph readers, support is even stronger.

In a Twitter poll 92 per cent backed airport testing as a way of removing the need for quarantine – and the majority said they would be happy to pay if necessary.

Airport testing would be a vital lifeline to travellers and holidaymakers and to the travel industry itself. And it would offer a ray of positivity and optimism in times which are becoming darker and gloomier by the day.

Would you be happy to take a Covid-19 test on arrival in the UK, to avoid quarantine? Comment below to join the conversation.