Frustration as fully jabbed holidaymakers in France will not be exempt from quarantine

A RETIRED Bolton holidaymaker has slammed the Government's 'inconsistent and unclear' travel messages after being told this evening that Britons in France will have to quarantine when returning home, regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated ­â€" when restrictions ease on other amber list destinations.

From Monday, double-jabbed residents arriving into England from countries on the Government’s amber list will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days â€" except if they are arriving from France.

The Government has said this is due to the “persistent presence” of the Beta coronavirus variant in the nation, first identified in South Africa.

Graham McLeod, from Bolton, is staying in his holiday home in Charente Maritime on France’s Atlantic coast with his partner, but they will now have to self-isolate when they return to the UK despite being fully vaccinated.

“In terms of government messaging, we’d say it’s inconsistent, irregular, unclear and frankly unworkable,” said the 63-year-old retiree.

“We struggle to understand the sudden desire to introduce quarantine for returnees from France and cannot help feel this has far more to do with politics and much less to do with science.”

Mr McLeod had planned to stay in France for five weeks, but they are now planning to return after less than three weeks.

“We could stay and hope the situation changes but given the knee-jerk reaction by the UK government we cannot take the chance in case the situation deteriorates further,” he added.

The announcement means anyone who has been in France in the last 10 days will need to self-isolate as well as taking a test after two and eight days, regardless of their vaccination status.

This includes fully vaccinated individuals who transit through France from either a green or another amber country, although operators may make specific arrangements in line with public health regulations for transit without quarantine, such as those travelling by train from Belgium.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Whilst we are committed to continuing to open up international travel safely, our absolute priority is to protect public health here in the UK.”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid added: “We have always been clear that we will not hesitate to take rapid action at our borders to stop the spread of Covid-19 and protect the gains made by our successful vaccination programme.”

The announcement is a further blow to the beleaguered travel industry while underlining the uncertainty in some quarters over the ending of lockdown restrictions in England on Monday.

The industry body Abta said the last minute exclusion of France for those arriving back in England was a further setback for hopes of a “meaningful recovery” for the sector.

“While we understand that public health must come first, this announcement will undoubtedly dent consumer confidence in overseas travel just as we are about to see many amber-listed countries opening up for UK visitors in time for the summer holidays” a spokesman said.

Easyjet chief Johan Lundgren said it “pulls the rug” from under people who were already in France or had booked holidays there.

“The traffic light system is falling apart with the Government making it up as they go along and causing confusion and uncertainty. It is not backed up by the science or transparent data,” he said.

For Labour, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “Ministers are making up rules on the hoof and causing chaos.

“They have never had a proper strategy in place â€" once again the travel industry and the British people are paying the price.”

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