Britain’s two week quarantine for travellers is being challenged by an airline group who could be joined by a group of travel related companies. China is warning its citizens against travel to Australia and Anchorage has implemented tough quarantine rules for travellers. Meanwhile Port Canaveral says cruising has been unfairly targeted by the CDC.

Britain

Travellers to Britain are now being required to go into quarantine for two weeks – a sweeping measure meant to halt the further spread of COVID-19. Starting today, June 08, all passengers will be asked to fill in a form detailing where they will self-isolate, with only a few exceptions. Those who fail to comply with the quarantine rules could be fined.

British Airways, Ryanair, and easyJet have joined together to send a letter to the Government to voice their protest against the quarantine plans. The ‘pre-action protocol’ letter is the first stage required when taking legal action against the Government.

It a joint statement, the airlines said: “These measures are disproportionate and unfair on British citizens as well as international visitors arriving in the UK.

“We challenge the UK Government on a number of defective measures, including (i) the fact the this quarantine is more stringent than the guidelines applied to people who actually have COVID-19, (ii) that if you live in Scotland to date the rules won’t apply, (iii) that, for example, if you are a French or German worker commuting weekly to the UK you will be exempted, and (iv) that the UK Government is banning people from countries with lower R rates than the UK.

“We urge the UK Govt to remove this ineffective visitor quarantine which will have a devastating effect on UK’s tourism industry and will destroy (even more) thousands of jobs in this unprecedented crisis”.

On Friday, Willie Walsh, the chief executive of BA’s parent IAG, said the quarantine is irrational and disproportionate and has ‘torpedoed’ any opportunity for BA to get flying again in July.

A group of travel companies and hotel groups called Quash Quarantine is also considering a judicial review.

Headed by Red Savannah chief executive George Morgan-Grenville, the 500-strong group also includes Kuoni, Abercrombie & Kent, Club Med UK, and Mark Warner.

Morgan-Grenville said the group was closely watching the legal move by BA, Ryanair and easyJet and could either join their legal action or mount its own.

He said barristers had advised that if the airlines went ahead with a legal challenge, the Quash Quarantine group could apply to become a co-claimant, an interested party or an intervener, but he stressed that it hadn’t yet exploited any of these actions. This would need the permission of IAG and the Secretary of State for Health.

“The quarantine is completely unworkable, economically devastating and unecessary,” he said.

The quarantine is due to be reviewed every three weeks and the Government has already said it is looking at putting quarantine-free ‘air bridges’ in place between the UK and countries with low Covid-19 rates.

ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer today called for travel corridors to be urgently investigated and for a clear plan for the restart of international travel.

Australia and China

China’s ministry of culture and tourism said, “There has been an alarming increase recently in acts of racial discrimination and violence against Chinese and Asians in Australia, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We remind Chinese tourists to enhance their safety awareness and do not travel to Australia.”

China-Australia ties have been frayed for some time and Beijing imposed heavy tariffs on some Australian exports.

The Australian Human Rights Commission said 25% of all racial discrimination complaints filed in the last two months were because of Covid-19. Asian Australian Alliance says it is receiving about a dozen reports a day of racist incidents since early April.

Trade and tourism Minister Simon Birmingham rejected China’s claims as having ‘no basis in fact’ but acknowledged that ‘China is the biggest single source of international tourists to Australia.’

Anchorage

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has signed an emergency order Friday implementing more stringent coronavirus-related restrictions on out-of-state travellers compared to state regulations. Travellers from outside Alaska are now able to avoid a statewide mandatory 14-day quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 but the city of Anchorage has imposed additional regulations that limit some visitors’ interactions with residents.

Under the current state mandate, out-of-state travellers will need to show proof of their negative COVID-19 results upon arriving in Alaska. Once in the state, travellers are urged to limit interactions until 14 days have passed, until they test negative again in a second test taken seven to 14 days after arrival or until they leave the state, whichever comes first.

Travellers can also get tested when they arrive in the state and quarantine at their own expense while awaiting the results. They then must take a second test within seven to 14 days after arrival.

The new rules implemented by the municipality of Anchorage more clearly define what interactions are prohibited but it is unclear how the new policy might be enforced.

Under city regulations, out-of-state travellers arriving in Anchorage who took a COVID-19 test before arriving at the airport to board are not allowed to dine in at restaurants or access indoor facilities such as theatres, fitness centres or museums for 14 days and must wear face coverings if around people who are not members of their household. They are allowed to order takeout or curbside delivery and recreate outdoors.

Travellers who get tested at the airport before boarding a plane will need to fully self-quarantine upon arrival in Anchorage until results are available. Those who test negative will then have to follow the same city regulations.

Travellers who wait to get tested until arriving in the city must self-quarantine. City rules specify that if the results are negative, travellers must abide by the new policy for 14 days after arrival.

Anyone who tests positive will need to isolate at their own expense and won’t be allowed to travel until they’re cleared by state public health officials.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Anchorage city officials require anyone arriving in the city within 14 days of their arrival in the state to “inform their hotel, rental lodging host, and/or roommates of their quarantine status or whether they are required to minimize in-person interactions,” the order said. “Businesses may refuse to serve people who are in quarantine or minimal-interaction status.”

Cruising at Canaveral

Port Canaveral’s CEO, Capt. John Murray, says the Centers for Disease Control is unfairly blaming cruise lines for Covid-19. Port revenues are down by US $7.5 million a month and Murray says the CDC still has not acted on any plans for the return to cruising.

He says the opposite is true with the CDC’s ‘no sail order’ still in effect until at least July 24.

“They’ve really taken an unfair hit with the coronavirus outbreak. It’s almost as if they’ve been earmarked as the folks that brought it to the United States. That’s far from the truth.”

“It’s amazing how one industry has been singled out in such a negative way,” Murray said.

With the entire industry at a standstill, Central Florida’s cruise-related economic impact is zero and won’t improve until ships start sailing again.

Carnival Cruise Line said it will sail from Port Canaveral as one of just a handful of ports when it plans to resume operations around early August. Disney, NCL, Royal Caribbean also sail from the port.

Meanwhile the CDC is rolling out a color-coded grading system (green, yellow and red) for infection risk on cruise ships.