New rules have been put in place by the UK government that say travellers are returning from the Netherlands and France after quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival.
The government is taking steps to stop the spread.
This has prompted many tourists to rush home to try and avoid having to self quarantine for 14 days.
The new rules will come into place on Saturday, the 15th of August.
The Prime Minister has said that the new rules are necessary to keep the public safe.
A rise in coronavirus cases in the two countries concerned is what has prompted the Prime Minister to suggest such actions are taken. He said: “We can’t be remotely complacent about our own situation. Everybody understands that in a pandemic you don’t allow our population to be re-infected or the disease to come back in.”
All but essential travel has now officially been advised to the two countries. Per 100,000 people, there have been rises of over 50% in the number of cases. French cases have risen by 66% whilst Dutch have risen 55%.
France and the Netherlands will now have to join the list of countries that you have to quarantine for 14 days after visiting. These other countries include Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba
The measures, essentially, are a precaution – protecting the public against travellers who have brought it back without knowing. This just shows that the strange nature of the virus is a huge problem, especially the fact it can be asymptomatic to some and deadly to others. Labour has supported the decision to add these countries to the list, but has worries over how those returning to the country will be tracked.
Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “That the government has still not put in place an effective track, trace and isolate system has made matters far worse and made it more likely that we are reliant on the blunt tool of 14-day quarantine.”
