‘Everyone is panicking’: UK quarantine decision shocks Britons in Spain
Requirement to self-isolate on return to Britain will further damage tourism industry.
News that the British government had imposed a two-week quarantine on those returning from Spain quickly soured the Saturday night mood in the Brew Rock beach bar in Altea, Alicante – and across the rest of the country. The need for returning Britons to self-quarantine will further hobble a tourist sector that had already been preparing for a difficult summer in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. Spain went into one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns nine days before the UK, and the wearing of face masks in public places has been compulsory since 21 May. “Now to be hit with this is just unbelievable,” said Griffin. “Honestly, it’s just unbelievable. A lot of businesses have slowly but surely started to open their doors and take their staff off [temporary furloughs] and now to be faced with this is just another knock-back.” The timing of the British government’s announcement was also questioned by people at Madrid’s Barajas airport.
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