By Ian McConnell
SCOTTISH Chambers of Commerce has joined forces with more than 20 UK organisations to ask the Conservative Government to set out an integrated plan to open up the country to its trading partners through air connectivity, amid the coronavirus crisis.
Other organisations making the call for establishment of travel corridors between the UK and low risk-countries “to enable exemptions from the blanket quarantine requirements for UK arrivals” include Universities UK, the Tourism Alliance, and UK Hospitality. Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry and Confederation of British Industry director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn are also among those who have added their names to the letter, along with Scottish Chambers chief executive Liz Cameron.
The letter has been sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
The organisations are also calling for “a timeline for returning to risk-based travel advice from the Foreign Office”.
They say: “The indefinite and indiscriminate advice not to travel overseas prevents businesses and individuals from being able to plan with confidence. Government advice should recognise that, whilst Covid-19 has struck every corner of the world, it has not struck evenly.”
The organisations are also calling for “a comprehensive approach to health screening for arrivals into the UK to help control the virus over the coming months”.
They say: “Combined with the UK Government’s track and trace system, this could support the economic recovery by allowing a controlled lifting of restrictions on movement.”
The letter follows the UK Government’s implementation, from June 8, of a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving in the UK.
The organisations are calling for an “integrated cross-government plan” to be set out “as soon as possible”.
In the context of the call for the establishment of travel corridors, they say: “A clear set of risk-based criteria should be set out so that businesses can start to plan for a controlled reopening.”
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