Is Europe expected to bring itself back on track by easing out restrictions on cross-border travel, then the dream has perhaps shattered prematurely. After EU decided to open its borders on 30th June, month of July was all about opening up to more and more countries by EU as well as non-EU nations. But as came August, tables were turned and it was chaos and confusion all over, which continues to grow with every passing day.
If this summer was supposed to offer hope that coronavirus was under control in Europe, spikes in cases across the continent and ensuing travel chaos have given governments a worrying reality check. From France to Ukraine, the number of positive tests for Covid-19 is rising sharply as more people seek vacations and as lockdown measures are eased to allow citizens to congregate. Germany reported the most new cases since May, while France said the situation is worsening, particularly in the cities of Paris and Marseille. Greece is also seeing the highest daily increase in infections since the start of the pandemic.
The British government added France and the Netherlands to a list of countries from where people must quarantine for 14 days on arrival in the UK. In Eastern Europe, which had been hit less hard by the pandemic, some countries approached near record number of daily cases. It was always going to be a gamble as countries sought to open up their economies in an attempt to mitigate the unfolding financial collapse. But clearly things didn’t go as per plan. Now, closing businesses and ordering people to stay at home again is something political leaders remain reluctant to do given the dark economic forecast and millions of jobs at risk, particularly in tourism. Business lobbies have warned that any second lockdown would have catastrophic consequences.
In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been removing lockdown measures, though he has been concerned not to trigger a second wave of cases from arrivals from abroad. His government already faces an inquiry into its handling of the crisis after Britain recorded Europe’s highest death toll. Hundreds of thousands of British tourists now face being forced to quarantine on their return home after the British government added France, the Netherlands and Malta to its list of virus trouble-spot destinations.
The new rules, which came into force from Saturday early morning, have sparked a chaotic scramble for tickets on flights, trains and car ferries for 160,000 Britons currently holidaying in France. As per announcement, Brits who are already on holiday in those places will have to isolate for two weeks if they return to the UK after 4am on Saturday, August 15. It applies to people returning to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The French government said that UK’s decision is regrettable and warned it would lead to reciprocal action. Well, it is not just about UK and France of Spain. Back in June, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of how he was taking a “calculated risk” to allow foreign visitors to return to the country’s beaches and resorts. After the jump in cases, his government ordered bars, restaurants and clubs to close at midnight in the Athens region and set an upper limit of 50 people at social events, such as weddings, in places particularly affected by the virus.
There has been concern in Greece and Croatia, two countries in the EU that rely most on tourism, that the virus is being imported. Meanwhile, Austria has warned against travel to Croatia, a major holiday destination and home country of many Austrian immigrants, effective August 17. East of the continent is seeing rising number of Covid-19 cases in recent days, especially in Ukraine and Romania. Poland, whose population of 38 million is almost twice as large as that of Romania, is also seeing the rise in infections.
After UK added France, Malta, the Netherlands, Gibraltar, Monaco, the Faroe Islands, Aruba and the Turks & Caicos to quarantine list, travel industry analysts noted that this announcement has the potential to effectively end the British holiday season. An announcement like this during the peak season was disastrous for all of the countries on the list, as well as for businesses in Britain selling holidays to these destinations. The Government’s announcement to extend its travel ban has left many Brits shocked and confused over holiday plans.
The UK is also the fourth highest spending source market worldwide, meaning the quarantine extension will be devastating for airlines, travel agents and hoteliers alike. But the announcement wouldn’t be pleasant one of domestic British destinations as well.
As CNN noted in its report, “Beaches strewn with waste, wild campers destroying fragile habitats, warnings from an increasingly overstretched Coastguard, unaffordable accommodations. What was supposed to have been a Great British summer has, for many, become a staycation nightmare”.
And, its not just the UK who is nervous about growing cases around. Germany has also included Spain, including the Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, and Menorca under a travel warning. This warning is the result of a new wave of COVID-19 cases in Spain. However, the Canary Islands located off the coast of Morocco are not yet included in the German warnings. Germans in Spain wanting to return need to get tested in Spain within 48 hours before boarding a flight home, or they need to be tested within 3 days of arrival but observe strict quarantine rules once stepping on German soil.
This is another blow to the Spanish travel and tourism Industry, and to Germans that had booked upcoming holidays in Spain. But then, why just Spain or Germany, whole Europe seems to be in grip of chaos once again.