Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Paragraph: 33
The incremental introduction of international travel measures during the period from late January to early...
Conclusion
The incremental introduction of international travel measures during the period from late January to early March corresponded to the practice in other countries during this time and reflects the great uncertainty with which governments were grappling. It was right to adjust and extend self-isolation provisions as the virus became established, starting with Wuhan and China, but also extending provisions to cover places like Italy as the virus spread. Many other European countries were beginning to be affected by coronavirus in the same way, and many took a similar incremental approach as the UK. Evidence shows that the number of cases of direct transmission from China into the UK was extremely small, and that the number of cases from Italy started to fall after 25 February when border measures were 74 Home Office preparedness for COOVDD19 (coronavirus): management of the borders introduced. However, it is impossible to distinguish between the impact of border measures and other factors such as lockdowns in Wuhan and Italy or falling overall passenger numbers which may have had a much bigger effect.
Paragraph Reference:
33
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government is grateful for the committee’s report. However, the Home Affairs Select Committee are incorrect in their assertions. Isolation guidance was not dropped on 13 March, it was superseded by the national stay at home guidance. As has been explained repeatedly to the committee this meant that anyone entering the country regardless of where they had travelled from, like the rest of the population, was required to self-isolate if they developed symptoms. All of our decisions throughout the pandemic have been informed by the science, with appropriate measures introduced at the right time to keep us all safe. The advice given by SAGE has always been based on the best evidence and data available at the time, and is a consensus arrived at by a group of leading scientists. The Government has consistently sought to make decisions taking into account the latest available scientific evidence and advice. During the contain phase of the outbreak we had enhanced monitoring at the borders to quickly identify symptomatic travellers from high risk areas and safely triage them into the health system. This was applied to those returning from Wuhan on 22 January and broadened to the whole of China on 25 January; Japan on 8 February, Iran on 25 February, northern Italy on 4 March and the whole of Italy on 5 March. On 12 March the Prime Minister announced the move from the contain to delay phase as there was sustained community transmission and a significant number of domestic cases present in the UK. National stay at home guidance was published on 12 March advising anyone with a new continuous cough or a fever to self-isolate for seven days and applied to everyone in the UK–including new arrivals. The scientific advice has been clear that when domestic transmission is high, cases imported from abroad represent a small proportion of the overall total and make no significant difference to the spread of the disease. On 12 March there was significant transmission within the UK and any additional border restrictions would have a very marginal impact on the epidemic within the UK, as at that point they contributed a tiny proportion of the number of new infections. Keeping the borders open maintained international connections for businesses, laying the foundations for our economic recovery, and provided a vital lifeline to those with a critical need to travel. This included British nationals who required repatriation from overseas and who made up a significant percentage of the total number of arriving passengers. Further, it is important to recognise that inbound UK travel (as with all travel across the world) was significantly reduced to unprecedentedly low levels in terms of passenger numbers.