Test And Trace Could Replace Quarantine For Travellers, Top Scientist Suggests
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Holidaymakers could submit themselves to coronavirus testing and contact tracing rather than being forced into quarantine on their return to the UK, a senior government scientist has suggested.
Government testing tsar Professor John Newton said plans for a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which are opposed by business groups and some Tory MPs, could eventually be replaced.
The proposals have generated strong opposition due to fears they could damage the economy.
Some MPs are instead calling for quarantine-free so-called “air bridges” with lower risk countries.
Health secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged the idea had been floated but declined to say whether any countries had expressed an interest.
Newton said that, for now, “caution has won the day” on the government’s scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), which has recommended quarantine.
But he gave hope for Britons eyeing up a summer holiday as lockdown restrictions are eased in the UK and across Europe, by suggesting they could be tested on their return and freed from quarantine if they test negative.
He told the Downing Street daily briefing: “Just like in this country, if somebody might be at risk of having the virus we need them to be isolated during any period when they might be infectious.
“And if people are coming into the country, then they really have to be treated as an unknown and therefore there’s a quarantine.
“There are two reasons why we might not do that: that would be if the risk of them having the virus when they come to our country is so low that we would just take the chance – that the chances of them becoming infectious are very low – and I think at the moment the judgement is that it is too early to say that and therefore it is better to be cautious for people travelling.
“And secondly if we are able to very quickly respond with a test and trace...
