Raw Deal: Risk of quarantine measures disrupting holidays is ‘high’

The move to reimpose restrictions on Spain and Luxembourg raises questions about what would happen if other popular holiday spots with rising infection rates were suddenly affected.

Favourite destinations such as Croatia and France could also be put on the quarantine list. Among the biggest concerns for holidaymakers is what would happen if quarantine measures were imposed on the foreign country they are visiting.

Put simply, once in an overseas country you will need to follow the local laws – or risk punishment.

Another big worry is whether people would automatically be covered for loss of earnings from a quarantine period upon returning from abroad.

People are not entitled to statutory sick pay if forced to quarantine on their return to the UK.

Home-based workers may be asked by employers to continue to do so, but for those unable to do this, it is down to the discretion of individual employers.

A further concern is if travel insurance would still be valid if people are told to leave the foreign country they are in because of a Covid-19 outbreak.

This depends entirely on the terms and conditions of the travel insurance policy they have bought and whether it was taken out pre- or post-coronavirus.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “The risk of quarantine measures and local lockdowns disrupting holidays remains high.

“While the travel industry begins to adjust to operating during the pandemic, the UK Government must step in to ensure that holidaymakers are able to travel with confidence, meaning their refund rights will be upheld and that appropriate travel insurance will be easily available to them.”