Shutting the Door

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Monday June 8, 2020, saw the UK government’s 14-day quarantine period for people travelling to the UK come into force. This policy has been slammed by many, pointing out that if such a policy was really necessary, it should have been imposed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and not when it appears to be subsiding.

This is a valid point and it does indeed seem an odd thing to do when lockdowns are being eased worldwide and at a time when the UK needs to kick start its own economy – including that of travel. It is utterly absurd to, as other have said, put up a giant sign saying ‘Closed’ on the UK’s doors when not only the travel industry but all those others that benefit from it desperately need to resume earning their incomes.

We do not engage in pointless criticism of the government for their actions; all governments worldwide have been facing something completely new, something that politicians everywhere have no experience of. That means learning and learning fast and we cannot stress too highly the importance of saving lives. The reasons should obvious and one of them is that we can do nothing for anybody else if we ourselves are not right.

Yet what kind of lives will we have if there is no life worth leading because few people have jobs left to return to? How will the government raise the money needed to provide welfare benefits with little tax revenue coming in in order to help the numbers needing it because they no longer have a job? Especially when those jobs were lost through government actions, no matter how well intended.

Along with so many others, we say to the UK government, ditch the quarantine requirements and please do so immediately.