Recommendation 32

HM Government Not Addressed

It is important to remember what the health measures at the border are about - protecting public health, managing a further peak of this deadly virus and that means controlling the risk of cases being imported from abroad. The Health Measures at the Border Regulations were introduced in early June when rates of infection in the UK were declining significantly and social distancing measures were being relaxed. In March, when rates of infection were high in the UK, international travel was severely reduced (as previously noted) and ‘stay at home’ guidance was in place, the scientific advice was that imported cases were likely to make a negligible difference to the overall rates of infection in the UK. But as rates declined, the advice was that the issue of imported cases could become materially significant. The Government had to consider, in a constantly evolving situation, what measures to introduce to mitigate against this risk. COVID-19 had been introduced into the UK by international travellers. It clearly was, and remains, of importance that imported cases should not lead to an increase in the number of infections in the UK and exacerbate the number of cases. We are committed to tackling this virus while enabling a sustainable and responsible return to travel. Travel corridors have stimulated demand in particular for aviation, with international passenger numbers handled at UK airports up around 400% between June and July to 3.1m passengers, though this is still 88% lower than the previous year. Flight numbers (and passenger numbers) continued to increase during August (when compared to June & July 2020). Overall flight traffic during August 2020, however, was still significantly below 2019 volumes (by 60%). It remains of importance that imported cases should not lead to an increase in the number of infections in the UK and exacerbate the number of COVID-19 cases. As such, ministerial decisions about relaxation of border measures have been informed by the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s preliminary assessment of the risks to public health, based on an approach developed in consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer. We keep our methodology and approach to border measures under regular review to ensure that they remain effective and practical in light of the developing domestic and international health picture, and continued improvements in data availability over time. Any decisions on border measures will be informed by the latest public health information available. On 7 October, the Transport Secretary and the Health Secretary formally announced the creation of the Global Travel Taskforce to consider what steps the Government can take, both domestically and on the international stage, to enable the safe and sustainable recovery of international travel. The Taskforce will operate at considerable pace, and its work will culminate in a report from the Transport Secretary and the Health Secretary to the Prime Minister in early November.