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Senior Tory MPs lambasted Priti Patel on Wednesday over plans to quarantine travellers coming to the UK, as Downing Street was unable to say whether chief medical officer Chris Whitty approved it.
MPs questioned the “mental gymnastics” of introducing 14-day quarantine for incoming travellers on June 8, months after the country passed the peak of the coronavirus epidemic when no such measures were in place.
They warned that it could do serious damage to the economy at a time when the government is attempting to kickstart the recovery and called for more targeted measures such as “air bridges” or “travel gates” to screen out travellers from countries with high infection rates.
At one point, Patel appeared to incorrectly suggest that quarantine measures would have stopped Britons being repatriated at the height of the pandemic.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman meanwhile was unable to confirm whether Whitty approved the plan but stressed it had “input and advice” from members of the government’s scientific group for emergencies (Sage), including the Home Office’s chief scientific adviser John Aston.
“The CMO (chief medical officer) and deputy CMOs have been engaged in the process throughout,” the spokesman told reporters.
Downing Street played down the prospect of the test and trace system replacing quarantine, despite the government’s testing chief professor John Newton suggesting it could on Tuesday evening.
It came as Patel, the home secretary, told the Commons quarantine was useful now that the UK has passed the peak of Covid-19 and was “more vulnerable to new infections being brought in from abroad”.
She confirmed the measures would be in place from June 8 and require arrivals to self-isolate for 14 days.
The plan will be reviewed after three weeks on June 29 and Patel confirmed that the government would look to create more freedom for travellers including “international travel corridors” with some countries.
But several senior Tories criticised the plans.
“The idea that this was wrong when we were at the centre of a pandemic... it doesn’t add up to me”
- Tory former minister Steve Brine
Former international trade secretary Liam Fox said: “I’m afraid I simply cannot get my head around the public health mental gymnastics of this policy.
“If such a barrier was required, why was it not introduced earlier in the outbreak and if it is a contingency measure against a so-called second wave, why apply it to countries with a lower infection rate than we already have?
“Surely the answer lies in the government’s test and trace system rather than unnecessary economic isolation.”
Ex-minister Steve Brine echoed Fox’s concerns: “If I’m honest I think many people will think this is the right move at the wrong time.
“We keep being told to use our common sense - the idea that this was wrong when we were at the centre of a pandemic... it doesn’t add up to me.”
He asked for the introduction of “travel gates” rather than travel corridors to block travellers from high risk countries.
“Basically, a more targeted risk-based approach to the screening of passengers as happens with aviation security standards now.”
Former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers said: “Can I urge her, suspend the implementation of this blanket quarantine requirement to give just a few more weeks to get those safe air corridors in place so we can save jobs in aviation and let families go on their summer breaks in the sun?”
Several Tories called for a speeding up inthe process, including powerful 1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady who warned hundreds of thousands of jobs were at risk and called for “clear criteria” for air corridors and the list of safe countries “well before” June 29.
Conservative MP Ben Spencer called for the UK to move as “quickly as possible” towards a “precise and targeted approach” to help protect passengers, staff and members of the public.
“The introduction of a 14-day quarantine is a very blunt tool with many downsides and consequences and effectively grounds the aviation industry,” said Spencer.
Patel said arrivals will be required to fill in a “contact locator form”, including details on where they will isolate and how they can be contacted.
She said: “The form must be completed in advance of travel to provide details of the journey and Border Force will be at the front line of enforcing this requirement.
“Passengers require a receipt, either printed or on their phone, to prove they have completed the form.
“Border Force will undertake spot checks at the border and may refuse entry to non-resident nationals who refuse to comply. They will have the power to impose a £100 fixed penalty notice to those who don’t comply.”
Patel said the data collected will be used by Public Health England, which will undertake checks to ensure people understand and follow the rules, adding: “If Public Health England has reason to believe someone is not following the law as they should be, they will inform the police.”
A breach of self-isolation could result in a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England, or potential prosecution, Patel added.