Furious Brits flying to Mexico find out MID-AIR that the country is being put on the red list with three days notice as cost of a ticket back to UK before deadline soars to £7,000
- Thousands of British holidaymakers are stuck in Mexico - which is set to go on the red list from 4am on Sunday
- They face a scramble to get back with direct flights from Mexico City to London soaring as high as £7,000
- Some holidaymakers have even revealed how they found out about the red list mid-air, leaving them trapped
- ***Are you stuck in Mexico and facing hotel quarantine back in the UK? Let us know: danny.hussain@mailonline.co.uk***Furious British holidaymakers flying to Mexico have revealed how they found out that the country was being moved onto the red list mid-air.
From 4am on Sunday, people returning to the UK from Mexico will have to stay in isolation in a hotel for 10 days.
However, the government has been slammed for giving only three days notice of the change, with the only direct flight from Mexico City to London before Sunday on sale for a staggering £6,878.
Travel agency CEO Paul Charles tweeted after the announcement: 'Pity poor #UK travellers in #Mexico - some 5/6,000 who have to somehow get back before hotel quarantine kicks in on Sunday. Certainly not enough seat capacity.' And holidaymakers have revealed how they found out about Mexico going red at the very last minute.
Claire, 30, from south London, said: 'I had access to the Wifi so I found out in mid air.
'I just wanted to grab the tannoy and tell everyone because I could see all these families looking forward to their holiday and it was obvious they didn't know.
'It's crazy the lack of notice. I had no inkling Mexico was about to go on the red list.'
Another tweeted: 'Landing in Mexico to find out it's been added to the red list whilst I was up in the air, has got to be one of the worst things I've ever experienced.'
Mexico is in the grip of a third wave of Covid and on Wednesday reported 20,685 new confirmed cases in the country, the highest daily jump since late January.
The price of the only direct flight from Mexico City to London before Mexico moves to the red list has soared to a staggering £6,878
From 4am on Sunday, people returning to the UK from Mexico will have to stay in isolation in a hotel for 10 days
Another 611 deaths were also reported and the country has recorded a total of 2,901,094 infections and 242,547 deaths.
The government has said the real number of cases is likely significantly higher, and separate data published recently suggested the actual death toll is at least 60% above the confirmed figure.
The decision to place Mexico on the red list also reflects worries about a new variant which originated in Colombia and which has concerned British scientists.
Returning from Mexico after the deadline will see Britons face a steep hotel quarantine bill after the government raised the price to 'reflect increased costs involved'. to quarantine as well. I'm still digesting it. I'm just gobsmacked.'
John Soones, 62, from south west London, was travelling to Mexico with his wife and their 18 year old daughter.He said: 'It's just incredible. It's terrible to get no notice that this is likely to happen and no time to change plans.'
In more positive news, it was announced that double-jabbed tourists returning from France will be spared quarantine from Sunday and seven European countries including Germany and Norway were added to the green list of destinations.
Spain has also been spared being given red status - potentially forcing thousands into £2,285-a-stay quarantine hotels - but the Government is urging travellers to take a PCR test before they fly home from the Iberian country.
Tens of thousands of Britons are now expected to head to France for August - although tourism chiefs have warned millions more Frenchmen are staying in the country this summer so there is a lack of accommodation.
There is a particular shortage of sites and hotel rooms in the south of the country, especially near beach resorts.
Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia will all move to the quarantine-free tier at the end of the weekend, in a huge boost for those looking to book a late summer getaway on the continent. back in the UK.
Meanwhile, the status of India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will switch from red to amber, meaning arrivals from those countries will no longer have to spend 11 nights at pricey quarantine hotels.
While Spain avoided joining them, those flying back will soon face higher testing costs after ministers urged holidaymakers to take a PCR for the mandatory pre-departure test, rather than the cheaper lateral flow alternatives, 'as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country'.
With the guidance being advice, rather than law, many travellers may feel entitled to refuse to take the gold-standard test, which can cost as much as £175 per person.
French tourism chiefs have welcomed the news that Britons can more freely come and go from Sunday - especially because Britons are by far the biggest spenders in the country but only around ten per cent of the usual number of UK tourists are in the country this summer.
But in the past month Mr Macron has enforced a 'high alert' covid-19 level hit in 37 departments in France because of rising cases of the Delta variant and increasingly busy hospitals. In Occitanie, in south-west France, a 'white' alert has been imposed meaning medics on holiday can be forced to return to work because of increasingly packed covid wards.
Queues at St Pancras International this morning as France was opened up both ways for British tourists and people jumped on the Eurostar
Experts are predicting that there will be a flurry of bookings for France (St Pancras today) but there is already a battle for accommodation with French staycationers in particular
Changes to the traffic light system are a 'positive step forward' but the Government needs to make faster progress in opening up international travel, industry experts have warned.
Four countries are being removed from England's red list as part of the latest update to the international travel system, while seven more, including Germany are being added to the green list.
It has also been confirmed that arrivals from France will no longer need to self-isolate, aligning the nation with other countries on the amber list, from which arrivals only need to quarantine at home if they are not fully vaccinated.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have followed England in introducing the same travel relaxations.
However, the changes have attracted criticism from the Welsh Government which has continued to advise against 'all but essential' travel.
Confirmation that France is joining the amber list is 'positive' especially during the 'critical' school holiday period, said Mark Tanzer, head of Abta, the travel association.
But he warned the Government is 'failing to capitalise fully on the success of the vaccine rollout' with a 'very cautious' approach to the green list and 'failure to relax restrictions on travel, including requirements for multiple tests even when visiting low risk destinations.'
No comments: