Why mixed messages is making things worse for hopeful holidaymakers like me - Catherine Scott

More than 1.8 million Brits were due to fly to Spain this August, but their travel plans have been thrown into disarray. We were one such family, having booked our trip to Mallorca back in January when coronavirus was something that was happening in China and had no place in our psyche. The world has become a very different place since then. We could not have imagined that we would be in lockdown for three months with schools, shops and pubs closed; and people ordered to work from home where possible and other furloughed in an attempt to save businesses. Then, just a few weeks ago, people were offered a little light with the announcement that they could, after all, go on that much-needed holiday abroad. The creation of air bridges between certain countries meant no need to quarantine on return to the UK. Many people flocked to pick up bargains and others, like us, thought that, perhaps, their long-awaited holidays could go ahead.

But this week has shown just how fragile any travel abroad is, and I for one think the Government should have made it much clearer when announcing the quarantine-exempt countries, that the air bridge could be withdrawn at a few 
hours’ notice.

Holidaymakers, especially those away when the announcement was made, are understandably angry and confused with many now facing two weeks of unpaid quarantine when they do return home. For those of use travelling independently we have no idea if we will get our money back. Jet 2 has now announced it is cancelling flights to the Spanish Islands until August 9 but the mainland until August 16 – the FCO are treating them the same but not he airline. It is even harder to swallow when the parts of Spain and the islands we were planning to visit have lower incidences of Covid-19 than the UK.

Now it is too late, and too expensive to book a staycation. It is a salient reminder that things are not back to normal – even a new normal – and, as the Government is now saying, any travel abroad is not without risk. We will all have to adapt to the fact that travel abroad is going to become more difficult and not something we take for granted. This is going to be hard, especially for the younger generations for whom travel has become something of a right.

Of course, the primary concern has to be the public’s health but if the Government had been more transparent about its decision-making and consistent in its messages, it would be a less a bitter pill to swallow for all of us.