Epidemiologist questions ‘confusing logic’ of UK travel restrictions
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An esteemed epidemiologist has questioned the “logic” of the UK’s international travel restrictions, saying he is “confused” by them. Tim Spector OBE, principal investigator of the PREDICT studies and the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app, said he didn’t understand why the government is restricting travel to lower risk countries when the UK is on course to have one of the highest coronavirus rates in Europe in the next few days. Logic?” The graph compares daily confirmed Covid cases per million people across major European countries: Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and the UK. A study by the University of Washington Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences plus Johns Hopkins University, published in January 2021 in the Journal of Emergency Management, claimed that travel bans can delay the arrival of an infectious disease into a country, but “there is very little evidence to suggest that a travel ban eliminates the risk of the disease crossing borders in the long term.” The latest R number in England is estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.4, meaning that the number of new infections is growing by between 3 per cent and 6 per cent every day.
Discover Related
Some European countries and Canada issue advisories for travelers to the U.S.
The big reason England is falling behind other European nations in life expectancy
Operators warn that travel could become ‘elitist’ due to increasing tourist prices
Is it safe to travel to Santorini? Latest earthquake advice
The country opening up to the world for travel again – and why you should go
British tourists to be forced to pay more to see the Mona Lisa - because of Brexit
Is Spain banning UK tourists? What new rules mean for your holiday
Some hospitals restrict visitors as flu cases rise
An acceptable level of travel cancellations? Discuss
Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights
Balearics tour operators may pull out over new Spanish rules, travel experts warn
Extreme weather already forcing almost a third of travellers to change holiday plans
Rising energy bills are why we’re ditching half-term holidays, say parents
Whitty: UK faced ‘absolutely catastrophic situation’ before first Covid lockdown
British tourists flock to Spain despite summer of overtourism protests
Slaying the myths about tougher post-Brexit red tape for UK travellers to Europe
UK falling behind other countries when it comes to hospital waits – report
UK riots: Malaysia issues warning to citizens over far-right protests
Inquiry finds Britain was ill-prepared for COVID-19 pandemic and failed its citizens