The chief executive of Brittany Ferries has called the Government’s decision to extend quarantine restrictions to people returning from France “bad news” - but said it might not stop Brits going to the Continent on holiday.
Christophe Mathieu said: “Imposing quarantine from those arriving from France is of course bad news for Brittany Ferries and passengers.”
But he stressed: “However, after six months of the COVID crisis it appears that many of our predominantly-British customers are determined to have their summer holiday abroad.”
This is because the company, which restarted sailings from Plymouth and Portsmouth in early July, has revealed only one in five travellers to Spain has actually amended or cancelled their travel plans since imposition of quarantine to that country.
With the Government insisting on a 14-day isolation period for everyone arriving back in the UK from France after 4am tomorrow (Saturday, August 15), the deadline may cause a stampede to the ports and airports from many of the estimated 160,000 Brits currently sunning themselves in la Republique. So Brittany Ferries has stressed that passengers must not to travel to its ports today (Friday, August 14) without a reservation.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the decision to call for a quarantine was triggered when the rate of infection in France – and also the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba, which are also included - exceeded 20 cases per 100,000 people over seven days.
Brittany Ferries said the quarantine restrictions on those holidaying with the company in France and Spain, already the subject of a quarantine, this summer are “not good news” but said there is some evidence that “traditional British stoicism” is alive and well, and many passengers are making an informed personal decision to travel even in the face of the restrictions.
It said data suggests most Brits are still be determined to take a break abroad after the extended lockdown period. The company pointed to words from Chancellor Rishi Sunak who advised travellers “to take everything into account and to make the best decisions they can in uncertain times”.
Data from reservations on Brittany Ferries’ Spanish routes suggests large numbers have already heeded this advice, and are taking a “measured, personal decision to continue with their travel plans”, the company said.
Since quarantine was imposed on those returning from Spain, Brittany Ferries has continued to run services connecting Portsmouth and Plymouth with Santander and Bilbao.
In that period only about one in five of those who booked to travel has cancelled or changed their travel plans. The majority have carried on sailing, the company revealed.
Brittany Ferries said it understands quarantine may be a tool to combat the spread of Covid-19. But it believes measures must always be proportional to the risk, enabling people to travel to and from lower risk areas within different countries this summer.
It is also reminding customers visiting France and Spain that basic health protection is still afforded by EHIC cards (European Health Insurance Cards). These remain valid until the end of 2020.
Brittany Ferries will closely follow demand over the coming weeks. Before today’s news it expected to carry around 240,000 passengers this summer. That compares with about 780,000 for a normal year, a consequence of lockdowns, restrictions on travel and capacity limits on ships.
The company has warned of potential changes to schedules at the end of the summer, if forward demand falls to levels that means services become unsustainable.
Mr Mathieu said: “Of course, we are all better informed about the crisis than we were in May or June and appreciate both the risks of infection and the measures we must take to protect ourselves and others.
“Social distancing, mask wearing and regular hand washing are now habits that we have started to adopt as a routine, whether on board Brittany Ferries’ ships, at home or in a holiday destination. Perhaps this goes some way to explaining their determination to get away.”
