The Portugal quarantine debacle has destroyed public confidence for good
Differing quarantine policies in England, Scotland and Wales have caused further confusion, writes our Portugal expert
There must have been some people feeling smug last night for having held their nerve and not booked an earlier, alternative, and hugely expensive flight back to a rather cool and damp England from a very hot and sunny Portugal, for fear of being caught by the increasingly chaotic quarantine rules.
But I fear, not that many. Every hotel I spoke to this morning had seen a scramble by guests to head home early, after consistent speculation in the the media that Portugal would go on the UK's quarantine list this week.
To be fair, this was based on the fact that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has explained the Government's approach of reviewing a country's position on its quarantine-free list when it surpasses a seven-day rate of 20 cases per 100,000 residents (while taking other data into account). Portugal’s rate as of yesterday had risen above 23 cases per 100,000 – beyond the usual trigger point for addition to the UK quarantine list.
Both Scotland and Wales have diverged from the UK Government's decision and added Portugal to their travel "red lists". Travellers arriving in Scotland from Portugal will have to self-isolate for two weeks from 4am on Saturday. Those arriving in Wales from Portugal have had to quarantine from 4am today. So why haven't England and Northern Ireland followed suit?
There are some who say the Government wants to give Portugal an extra week to get their numbers down. Others who think that with the Government having given Portugal the green light just two weeks earlier, resulting in a rush of bookings in the Algarve – 190 per cent up and for the first time this summer 100 per cent occupancy for many – they would face an outcry if they did yet another U-turn and said it was now no longer safe.
As a resident of the Algarve, I would go further and say maybe those who decided looked closely enough at where the hot spots (and we are talking viral heat rather than meteorological) are and saw that they are in areas far, far north of the Algarve, which are not frequented by British tourists, and therefore leaving people to their holidays was safe.
But what this whole situation has exposed is yet again how the Government’s quarantine policy undermines any efforts by the travel industry to soldier on. People who were poised to get some later summer sun in Portugal this coming week will be nervous about going ahead with their trip, concerned that if quarantine hasn’t been imposed this week, it will be next. Confidence has been destroyed.
While there is more and more talk about airport testing (which at Heathrow is ready to roll when approved), in Portugal there was a plea that the Government should at least make decisions which last long enough for someone to book a holiday, enjoy it and come home, safe in the knowledge that they were not going to be caught out mid-stream.
Francisco Moser, MD of hotel group DHM, which has many hotels across the Algarve with the UK making up to 30 per cent of their market, told me last night: "As I am also a member of the Algarve Tourist Board I receive updates on the UK’s position on Portugal, but every day there is something new and different from the day before.
"I feel strongly that the British Government needs to stabilise its policy, taking a position on a country for a month for example rather than threatening snap changes which results in a lack of consumer confidence and chaotic bookings and then cancellations."
Hallie, British owner of Fazenda Nova on the tranquil Eastern Algarve whose clients are mainly British told me yesterday that on Wednesday morning someone called up and booked a week’s holiday, paying in full only to call again on Wednesday afternoon, cancel the holiday and ask for a full refund.
"The curious thing is", Hallie told me, "no-one ever asks about the Covid-19 numbers in the area, or how safe it is. It is just the imposition of or lifting of quarantine on the whole of Portugal that makes them decide."
With many September bookings in Fazenda Nova, ones that have been postponed from April, Hallie was one person at least who was happy with the news.
But Chitra Stern, chief executive and owner of child-centric Martinhal who have properties in the Algarve, Lisbon and Cascais said: "This is a chaotic way to keep people safe. We can see that British people want to travel, indeed in the minutes after quarantine was lifted a rush of bookings took us from 65 per cent occupancy to 90 per cent but in these last few days bookings for September have been cancelled due to speculation about the re-imposition of quarantine."
Chitra went on to say: "It is simply not possible in the hotel industry to operate in this way, as it doesn’t allow for any planning".
I would say that it is equally difficult for the traveller.