The Reader: Quarantine mess highlights our double standards

Tests may not show up an asymptomatic Covid-19 carrier, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on the pandemic. So some of the “British tourists set to race home as Croatia odds-on to join quarantine ‘red list’ ” (Jonathan Prynn, Standard, August 20) could have infected, or been infected by, people in Croatia. Last week they were “on standby to scramble home” and some might have brought the virus back to Britain.

A small percentage of other people are also scrambling to Britain. Desperate human beings mostly from Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran or Syria — all among the world’s most dangerous countries. Little welcome for young asylum seekers, who risk death trying to cross the Channel — but Covid-19: come on in.
David Murray

Editor's reply

Dear David
The Government’s quarantine system has proved itself a ludicrously blunt instrument. Ministers place an entire country on the “red list” — ignoring all regional variations in cases — with just a few hours’ notice. The inevitable stampede home causes huge stress to families and the 14-day stay-at-home rule inflicts fresh damage on the travel industry. Other countries such as Germany and Iceland have shown that an efficient compulsory testing system, perhaps combined with a shorter quarantine period, can prove far more effective.
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor

Peak-time free travel for pupils

Talk is going on about removing free travel for children from October. A lot of people state that they cannot afford to pay for their children to travel to and from school. There is an answer to this — let the children keep the passes but make them valid 7am to 9am and 3pm to 5pm to get to and from their points of education. This will also prevent children gathering in gangs after school.

Steve Caldwell