Government must support travel industry - Chamber
Business leaders in Greater Birmingham today urged the government to provide more support for the travel industry following the decision to remove Portugal from green to amber status from next Tuesday.
The move has prompted a scramble of British tourists to return from Portugal before Tuesday to avoid the need to quarantine.
Switching to the amber list means UK tourists should not visit the country and returnees must isolate for 10 days.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps cited rising cases and a Covid mutation found in Portugal, saying ministers did not want to take risks before the planned final easing of England's restrictions.
But Portugal said it could not understand the “logic ” of the move.
A post from the Twitter account of Portugal's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said: "Portugal continues to carry out its prudent and gradual deconfinement plan, with clear rules for the safety of those who live here and those who visit us."
Henrietta Brealey (pictured), chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: "This will be a bitter disappointment for many firms eager to reconnect with their overseas customers and suppliers and seize opportunities for global trade.
“UK airports and the aviation industry is critical infrastructure that is fundamental to the ability of business to trade. The Government should consider what additional support will be needed to ensure that this industry is ready and able to support the economic recovery.
“There should be no hesitation in adding a country to the green list if the data shows it is safe to do so.
“Airports are vital to regional economies, thousands of jobs depend on them directly and indirectly and they are key enablers of overseas trade.
“The government must adequately support and inform the industry and make continual efforts to improve procedures for allowing safe overseas travel. ”
In the first review of England's traffic light list for international travel, no new destinations were added to the green list, where travellers must be tested but do not have to quarantine on their return.
Seven countries - Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago - will be added to the red list.
Only UK or Irish nationals or UK residents are allowed to travel from red list countries and they must pay to isolate for 10 days in a government-approved hotel on their arrival.
But holidaymakers should not travel to amber or red list countries, according to government guidance.