Friday 22 May.

Commenting on the Government's announcement of a self-isolation policy for international visitors to the UK, Richard Burge, Chief Executive of London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:

“The Government’s roadmap to restarting the economy is correctly centred on a risk-based approach. Yet this announcement of almost blanket quarantine for international arrivals doesn’t appear to be risk-based. If it was, it would recognise that arrivals from some countries with much lower transmission levels than the UK and low incidence of the disease would not increase our risk, provided they adopted our social distancing protocols on arrival. If this is wrong, show us the data, the models, and the analysis.

“At the moment this looks like the worst sort of arrogant British exceptionalism. This sort of thing does not create or sustain a global reputation, nor the impression of re-opening for business.

“Businesses in many sectors that depend upon aviation will this evening be baffled why the Government and its advisors have chosen this approach, at this time. And those businesses will be hoping for as quick as possible a move to a system that permits selective international travel into the UK that is guided by a transparent scientific and health risk rationale.”

ENDS.