A British Airways plane took off at Heathrow Airport on January 29 in London, England. Press AP Association / Image
British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair have launched legal action against the British government’s corona virus quarantine rules.
Three airlines said the restrictions “would adversely affect UK tourism and the wider economy and destroy thousands of jobs.”
On Monday, the United Kingdom introduced a new regulation requiring anyone who came to the country to carry out 14 days of isolation, or face fines.
In a statement the airlines said their legal challenges were based on several factors including “this quarantine fact, by criminal law, is more stringent than guidelines applied to people who actually have COVID-19.”
They said that, “there was no consultation and no scientific evidence was provided for such a severe policy.”
In their challenge, the airline cited a provision that said, “if you are a French or German worker who travels weekly to England, you will be released, and the British government prohibits people traveling to and from countries with lower infection rates than the UK. “
They also said that they did not see evidence of how and when the proposed “air bridge” between Britain and other countries would be carried out.
