Ex-EasyJet chairman: Two-week quarantine period for arrivals doesn't work

10 November 2020, 14:18

This is the moment the former chairman of EasyJet and BT Group told LBC that the two-week quarantine period for international arrivals "doesn't really work" as far as safety is concerned.

Sir Mike Rake made the comment to LBCs Nick Ferrari after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the UK is making "good progress" in developing a testing regime to shorten the quarantine period for international arrivals

Mr Shapps has said that the Government's "test and release programme could pave the way for a "much reduced" self-isolation period.

Sir Mike told LBC that the developments in the testing regime were the "first chink of hope" for the travel industry.

He said: "This industry is critically important to our country, both from a business and tourism activity point of view. It's all about relative risk management.

"So other countries have succeeded in creating an inward testing environment, which significantly reduces quarantine.

"And from a safety point of view frankly at the moment...the studies show and anecdotally we know that the quarantine two weeks doesn't really work.

"A large number of people are asymptomatic. You catch this if you have testing. So actually we both improve our economy and improve our risk management of the virus by having testing.

"Other countries have had it in place for several months. I hope very much that, using these new technologies, we will introduce it..."