HOLIDAYMAKERS from Bradford have criticised the Government’s “lack of notice” before introducing 14-day quarantine rules for those abroad in Spain.

The new travel rule means anyone returning from all parts of the country - including the islands of Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza - should provide an address where they will self-isolate for 14 days or risk a fine.

During those two weeks, people must not go out to work, school, or public areas, or have visitors except for essential support. They should not go out to buy food if they can rely on others.

The quarantine rule was announced on Saturday evening following a coronavirus spike in Spain and enforced less than five hours later.

And while the Government said it had to act “rapidly and decisively” to stop a second wave of the virus in the UK, it has faced huge criticism from airlines and travellers.

Close to 1.8 million holidays are likely to have been thrown into chaos by the move, according to travel company The PC Agency, which analysed the number of seats booked on flights leaving the UK for Spain between July 26 and August 31.

Global airline body the International Air Transport Association has called the snap decision “disproportionate”, warning it could cause a “big setback for consumer confidence”.

While Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, called for a “more nuanced policy” to include rules based on regions as well as countries.

Tui has cancelled all holidays to mainland Spain up to and including August 9 however Jet 2 is still running its scheduled programme of flights to and from mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.

For the Slingsby family from Harden, the quarantine rule has left them “worried” and in an “extremely difficult” position.

The family flew out with Jet 2 to Mallorca on July 15 but say they wouldn’t have gone away if they knew the rule would be in place.

Both their children Eva, 22, and her brother Matt, 24, work in a call centre that requires them to use the company system in the office, making working from home impossible.

While their aunt, who flew out on the same day, came home early over fears she could not afford to quarantine for two weeks.

Speaking to the Telegraph & Argus, Eva said: “Because we come a lot - we have a place here - so as soon as we heard there would be no quarantine, we came.

“We wouldn’t have come if we’d known.

“We both work in a call centre so we won’t be able to go back. We’re just annoyed because we obviously have had enough of quarantining.

“My mum is worried about my grandma because she’s losing her memory. She only lives up the road and she comes down every day for a coffee and we don’t know if she will be able to.”

Dad Dominic Slingsby, who runs his own business, Slingsby’s, felt the move was a “knee jerk reaction” to the new coronavirus cases in Spain.

After being able to work as normal throughout the pandemic, he will now work from home for the first time. Is it a knee jerk reaction or is there something hidden beneath the headlines? Is it a lot worse than we think?,” he asked.

“I understand why they’ve done it but the lack of notice makes it extremely difficult. It will be hard to just do Zoom.”

Another Bradford holidaymaker, Andy King, 54, jetted off to the popular island of Ibiza on Saturday and said the move was “unfair”.

Mr King told the Telegraph & Argus: “I think they’ve made the wrong decision about the Canary and Balearic Islands. There will be people who will be desperate to get back, they won’t be in the financial situation to be off work for two weeks.”

Spain’s Tourism Minister was today urging the UK to lift its quarantine rules on the Balearic and Canary Islands, as they haven’t suffered the same concerning resurgence of the disease as the mainland.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said there are “serious questions” about the blanket self-isolation requirement. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The first is why we are still employing the… blunt tool of the 14-day quarantining rather than smarter measures, and secondly the chaotic nature of the decision-making which certainly hasn’t bred confidence in the Government’s approach.”

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