Inside Politics: Boris Johnson ‘looking’ at changes to quarantine

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Adam Forrest
Wednesday 29 July 2020 02:57 EDT
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Boris Johnson warns of second wave of coronavirus from Europe

Wag superstar Rebekah Vardy – taking a break from her legal battle over the “Wagatha Christie” saga – is among the many Brits who have decided it’s worth a trip to Spain despite the 14-quarantine. Boris Johnson could use some of Colleen Rooney’s (allegedly) superb sleuthing skills, as he searches for solutions to the travel chaos. His No 10 team are said to be considering “double testing” to cut time spent in quarantine, and limiting the restrictions to certain regions so more us can make summer getaways.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

No PMQs for Boris Johnson to worry about, but his ministers might have to respond to a highly critical Commons’ public accounts committee report accusing the government of a “slow, inconsistent, and at times negligent approach” to care homes during the coronavirus crisis. During the Lords sitting before its summer break, Baroness Evans, its leader, will be quizzed by a committee about the way the House works – including whether to keep online voting after the pandemic.

Daily briefing

ON THE DOUBLE: Boris Johnson has said he is “looking at ways” to “mitigate the impact” of the 14-day quarantine. The government is considering a plan allowing people entering from at-risk countries like Spain to finish quarantine early – so long as they test negative for coronavirus twice in several days, according to the BBC. One possibility for “double testing” would see arrivals initially swabbed at the airport. Transport minister Baroness Vere hinted at some other potential changes, saying the government was considering restrictions targeting regions within countries. It’s what Germany is already doing – advising its nationals to avoid only the worst-hit Spanish regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre. Meanwhile, quarantine for arrivals from Luxembourg and Belgium could begin this week, according to The Times. Ministers are said to be “keeping a close eye” on Croatia too.

SECOND COMING: The prime minister told us he was worried about “signs of a second wave” in some European countries. The Daily Mail reports that Johnson is worried the second wave could arrive in the UK within a fortnight (quoting a senior government source saying the PM was “extremely concerned”). It comes as the seven-day average of new cases stands at 700 – 28 per cent higher than three weeks ago. Meanwhile, his ministers have a damning new report on care homes to worry about. The public accounts committee said the decision to discharge hospital patients to care homes without Covid tests was “reckless” and continued “even once it was clear there was an emerging problem”. The committee chair, Labour MP Meg Hillier, said: “Our care homes were effectively thrown to the wolves.”

SOUTH WESTERLY: Sir Keir Starmer is heading off to Falmouth in Cornwall to meet local businesses today, and is calling for more help for tourist towns that risk “falling through the cracks”. New analysis by Labour shows an ill the wind has blown on the sector – areas with a fifth or more workers in tourism jobs saw unemployment soar by 174 per cent since February. As the end of furlough creeps ever-nearer, a leading research group has warned that the government’s decision to end the scheme in October is a “mistake” – and will likely see unemployment rise to nearly 10 per cent this year. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) also forecast that unemployment levels will remain around two per cent higher in 2021 (at around 6.4 per cent) than if the scheme were extended.

FIX UP GOES DOWN: One of the government’s big anti-obesity schemes got off to a bad start. The website offering £50 bike repair vouchers in England crashed soon after launch, remaining down for about four hours. Elsewhere, a government-ordered review has recommended that a further 1.5 million children should be given free school meals. The National Food Strategy also warned that the country’s eating habits are a “slow-motion disaster”. In other news, The Independent has revealed the UK government has given the green light for the export of British tear gas and rubber bullets to the US, despite the use of force against protesters. Officials suspended new arms export licences at the height of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. But a review concluded the violence didn’t amount to “internal repression”.

NOBODY LOVES ME: Donald Trump has again boasted about using hydroxychloroquine, claiming the malaria medication was only rejected as a Covid-19 treatment because he suggested it. In full paranoid mode, he asked why everyone loves Dr Anthony Fauci and other health experts so much. “They’re highly thought of – but nobody likes me … [Fauci]’s got this high approval rating, so why don’t I have this high approval rating?” Twitter decided it didn’t approve of a tweet by Donald Trump Jr containing a dodgy video clip on the benefits of hydroxychloroquine, banning Trump’s eldest son from tweeting for 12 hours. The president defended the doctor in the video clip, Stella Immanuel – “I thought she very impressive” – despite the fact she reportedly claimed alien DNA had been used in medical treatments.

CITY ON THE BRINK: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has warned that the territory is on the verge of a large scale outbreak of the virus “which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system”. She urged people to stay indoors, as strict new measures to curb the disease’s spread take effect today. Gatherings of more than two people are banned, restaurants are closed and face masks are mandatory in all public places. Elsewhere, the renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei told The Independent he thought Hong Kong’s autonomy was “finished”. In our exclusive interview, he said: “‘One Country, Two Systems’ was finished the moment China applied its national security law ... China violated its own promise. It is a society that is unreliable and cannot be negotiated with.”

On the record

“Amongst some of our European friends, I’m afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic.”

Boris Johnson on the uptick in cases on the continent.

From the Twitterati

“Totally agree with [Johnson] getting behind cycling & his ostensible new respect for the NHS, but it is damning that things have to affect him personally to feel they’re worth his time or energy. Underlines an aloof selfishness & lack of empathy.”

The Guardian’s Hannah Jane Parkinson notes the PM’s reluctance to care...

“When Sadiq Khan makes cycling more accessible he’s a ‘lunatic’ but 24 hours later when Boris Johnson suggests doing exactly the same thing it’s a great idea to tackle obesity.”

...while anti-Brexit campaigner Sarah Saboteur notes right-wing press hypocrisy.

Essential reading

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Spain thinks our quarantine is unjust – we can add shambolic too

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent: Trump insiders tell me they’re worried about the election

Katy Balls, The Guardian: Rishi Sunak’s next task – balance the books without starting a Tory civil war

Ella Nilsen, Vox: How coronavirus got Joe Biden to think much bigger about the future

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