IT’S being quietly whispered in playgrounds across the country – and parents worried their kids will be forced to self- isolate because they’ve been in contact with a Covid-positive classmate are taking drastic steps.
Terrified that much longed-for holiday plans here in the UK or abroad may be thrown into disarray if their child has to quarantine, they are quietly inventing reasons to keep their kids off school for these last few weeks of term.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest updates
Anything to avoid that dreaded ping on the NHS Covid app — or the ominous text and letter from the school telling them that their child may possibly have come into contact with a positive Covid case.
It’s fantastic news that from August 16 double-vaccinated adults and schoolchildren will no longer have to stay at home for ten days.
But that’s simply too late for the millions who had plans for trips they have saved long and hard for during the many months of arduous lockdown.
Even the headline date of August 16 is deceiving — read the small print in the government announcement and you’ll see for fully-jabbed adults it’s actually two weeks after your final jab that self-isolation ends.
FREEDOM IS FRAGILE
It’s yet another blow for beleaguered British holidaymakers.
The insistence on double-jabs to avoid quarantine on return from amber countries means many of those yet to get their second jab are unable to travel abroad.
And the dizzyingly different restrictions and rules being imposed by countries across Europe complicate matters even further for parents with unvaccinated kids.
It effectively means the much-lauded freedom we were so looking forward to enjoying after July 19 is a lie.
Millions could still be forced back into lockdown if they have the misfortune of simply coming into contact with a positive case.
Weary parents of school-age kids are all too aware of the lottery that has kept their children at home for weeks at a time.
When Boris Johnson announced the plans on Monday, there were an incredible 623,000 schoolchildren stuck at home.
My niece’s school has a policy of sending home the entire year group when a single case is detected, even though the likelihood of her daughter having had even the slightest of contact with the case is virtually nil.
Between September and December last year, this “whole year group” rule meant that out of the 12 weeks that the school was open, she was allowed to attend for just 12 days.
Now the prospect of having to cancel family holidays, reunions, days out and more will throw yet another spanner in the works.
In this post-pandemic era, freedom is fragile — and could be short-lived as the Delta variant continues to surge across the UK with the Government warning cases could rise to more than 100,000 a day by August.
Our devastated travel industry may not survive the hammer blow of a summer of cancellations.
In a desperate bid to encourage Brits to book holidays both at home and abroad to the few countries that welcome us, they have devised hugely flexible booking policies.
Some UK operators are allowing cancellations up to the day before — reassuring for customers who may be caught out by the need to self-isolate but utterly devastating for companies desperate to recover from 18 months of virtually no income.
If the need to self-isolate after possibly coming into contact with a positive case is not ending until mid-August at the earliest, that will mean millions could be forced to cancel — another blow to our Covid-shattered economy.
Virginia Messina, senior vice president of the World Travel and Tourism Council, said: “It’s hard to believe that the UK travel and tourism sector and holidaymakers are facing yet another ‘lost summer’ — despite the hugely successful vaccine rollout.
“The vaccination programme should have unlocked the door to international travel. Instead, we are seeing the second summer with only limited travel in prospect while Europe is reopening, enjoying a summer break and kick-starting its economies.
“As always, the devil is in the details and unfortunately there could well be some people who get caught out by the myriad of complicated rules and regulations which could scupper their much-needed summer holidays.
“The travel and tourism sector and holidaymakers alike need more clarity and we hope the Government tomorrow delivers a clear road map to restart safe international travel.”
If we are truly to get the freedom promised, this onerous self-isolation rule should be coming to an end on July 19 when lockdown finally lifts.
With the right precautions in place it could mean the difference between disaster and survival for our country’s embattled travel industry
And it will give us Brits the clarity and reassurance to really enjoy this summer.
