UK Government's Proposed 14-Day Quarantine Rule Widely Panned By Airlines, Tories, Business Groups

U.K. airlines, politicians and business groups have squarely condemned a proposal by the British government to impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all arrivals in order to quell the spread of covid-19.

British Airways, or BA, and Ryanair even refused to participate in an industry conference call with the U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel and Kelly Tolhurst, the junior aviation minister, to discuss the quarantine.

A Whitehall government official criticized BA for missing the conference call.

“It’s a shame that British Airways don’t want to directly make their case to the home secretary and the aviation minister. Clearly they aren’t serious about working with the government to get Britain moving again,” the source said.

Under the proposed rules, anyone arriving in the U.K. by plane, ferry or train - including British citizens -- will have to self-isolate for 14 days and fill out a form notifying authorities where they will be located. In England people could be fined up to £1,000 ($1,270) if they fail to self-isolate.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the quarantine will commence on Monday.

BA, a subsidiary of International Airlines Group, or IAG, said it may also file a legal challenge against the quarantine.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, said the government did not consult with the airline industry prior to the rule change.

“I wrote to MPs [Thursday] night to say this [quarantine] initiative has in effect torpedoed our opportunity to get flying in July,” Walsh said. “We think it is irrational, we think it is disproportionate and we are giving consideration to a legal challenge to this legislation.”

British Airways, Walsh added, “is not generating any revenues and continues to burn through approximately £20 million ($25.3 million) of cash a day.

“The current situation is not sustainable,” he wrote, adding the company has taken on an additional £800 million ($1 billion) of short-term debt.

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary and MP for Haltemprice and Howden, told the Guardian newspaper: “It is entirely understandable that BA would consider taking legal action. The government position does appear to be irrational. As far as I can see there is no risk in accepting people from other countries which have lower infection rates than ours, in fact there is a greater risk if people travel to London from my constituency.”

Alex Cruz, the chief executive of BA, warned that the quarantine proposal represented “another blow” to a company that is rapidly losing cash and has already laid off thousands of workers.

During the industry call with Patel, aviation officials suggested the quarantine be in place for only three weeks until the first review date on June 29. Patel apparently made no promises but listened to the airline industry’s pleas.

“Protecting lives will always be our top priority, but I am [sensitive] to the impact on your sector and I’m asking you to work with us on this,” Patel said on the call. “I know you share my commitment to protecting passengers and the whole of our country from a second wave of coronavirus … We’re listening and we want to find solutions together, that’s why we’re here today.”

Tollhurst already criticized BA for cutting 12,000 jobs while it was still benefitting from the government's wage subsidy furlough scheme.

Tom Burridge, the transport correspondent at BBC, wrote that aviation bosses were “fuming” about the quarantine, and the conference call with Patel likely made things worse.

“They feel they got no reassurances from Priti Patel that the quarantine would be reduced in any significant way soon by agreeing [to] so-called ‘air bridges’ [safe corridors between the U.K. and countries with low infection rates meaning people won't have to self-isolate after they travel],” he wrote. “The fact that BA's parent company IAG didn't even attend the call is the ultimate sign that relations between the government and U.K. aviation are at rock bottom.”

Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, also criticized the quarantine, citing the rule to self-isolate would "significantly reduce European visitors” to the U.K.

A spokesman for Virgin Atlantic stated: “The introduction of mandatory 14-day self-isolation for every single traveler entering the U.K. will reduce customer demand significantly and prevent a resumption of services at scale."

Some Conservative Members of Parliament have also blasted the quarantine proposals, citing they will harm the airlines and ruin Britons’ hopes of summer holidays. Tories have implored the government to keep the quarantine period to a minimum.

Huw Merriman, Conservative chair of the Commons transport committee, described the quarantine as “the wrong policy at the worst possible time.”

Unions have also criticized the plan.

Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Services Union, which represents about 4,000 Border Force members, called the rules “farcical” since passengers could fill in fictitious information on forms when they arrive. Border Force officers would then have no way to verify their information.

The Confederation of British Industry, or CBI, warned the quarantine proposal would have widespread economic impact.

The CBI’s president John Allen urged the government to avoid “unnecessary burdens that hurt future growth.”