Government must compensate people forced to miss work in order to quarantine

Responding to news that people arriving in the UK from France and a number of other countries will have to quarantine for 14 days from 04:00 Saturday 15 August, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said

"It's right that the Government is taking steps to minimise the risk of COVID-19 by updating the 'travel corridor' as the situation overseas evolves.

However, the Foreign Office must acknowledge the significant disruption and disappointment this will cause. All impacted customers must have the chance to reschedule or be offered a full refund, and the Government must underwrite these commitments.

Ministers must also get real about the financial pressures on those forced to choose between obeying the quarantine rules and going out to work, and agree to compensate people who will lose out on pay.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to find ways to avoid this kind of heavy handed quarantine measure in future by taking a regional approach to travel restrictions as far as possible."