Covid-19 updates

COVID-19 Update 75

Friday 3 July 2020

Dear AOA Member,

This morning finally saw further detail on Government’s relaxing of quarantine measures at the UK border. After weeks of speculation, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps set out how the Red Amber Green system, informed by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, would work and included the initial categories for countries, which can be found here. These changes, however, will currently only apply in England as concerns from the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland continue. In addition the implementation date for the removal of quarantine has slipped from 6 July to 10 July. Nevertheless, the list of exempt countries is larger than anticipated and the changes are accompanied by a parallel adjustment to Foreign Office travel advice against all non-essential travel scheduled for tomorrow. You can read AOA’s full statement in response to the announcement here.

Today AOA held a meeting with a number of airports to discuss policy options for supporting regional connectivity that would help to fit in with DfT’s work on this issue as they look to restart this crucial piece of work for our industry. There was an open and robust discussion about  Public Service Obligations (PSO) routes, taxation and all forms of connectivity from inter-regional to international. It was agreed that AOA will develop a matrix of the options and solutions raised as a basis for further discussion with members before submitting a comprehensive paper to DfT.

Other items of note:

• The Government has published guidance on how food and drink venues should collect information from customers as part of the NHS Test and Trace system. The guidance was accompanied by an FAQ pack and examples of messaging and how business might log the data required.
• Department for Transport guidance for aviation operators and passengers has been updated to reflect changes in public health guidance on social distancing across the four nations. Details can be found here.

Have a lovely weekend.

Karen Dee
Chief Executive