The furore over quarantine for all passengers in flights from Spain sprung on hapless vacationers on July 26th seems not just ill-timed but ill-judged. If, as the UK Government claims their sole concern is ensuring the health of British citizens, they seem to have this , as the Americans say, “bass ackwards” .If they are indeed”following the science” to achieve this,, why aren’t they following the facts?
- Daily average Covid cases in the Balearics: 1 = 0.9 per million inhabitants
- Daily average Covid cases in the Canaries: 7 = 3.3 per million inhabitants
- Daily average Covid cases, in Britain: 741 = 10.5 per million inhabitants
So, in its concern for its citizens, does the UK Government not have things backward? Should it not be encouraging folk to vacation on the Spanish islands, where they would be between 3 and 11 times safer than staying at home? Travel firms, airlines and desperate Spanish hospitality businesses would all benefit.
Moreover, since they have had to borrow a stiff £180,000,000,000 already to deal with the 300,000 UK cases, the Government could afford to subsidise each citizen who avoided UK Covid by vacationing on the Spanish islands to the tune of £1,000 each—and still come out £599,000 ahead on each deal.
Andale!
davidsberry 
We in the UK have very high density of population also in diverse ethnic areas please be sensitive to this fact. It’s very easy to cast judgement on quite complicated systems when you live in population of less than 6 million many in isolated rural community’s. We should all strive to live as one world community, living in hope of a better future for all.
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Wednesday, 29 July 2020, 21:05 +0100 from comment-reply@wordpress.com : >davidsberry posted: “The furore over quarantine for all passengers in flights from Spain sprung on hapless vacationers on July 26th seems not just ill-timed but ill-judged. If, as the UK Government claims their sole concern is ensuring the health of British citizens, they see” >
The principle is correct. But since the Balearics have a population density of 570 and the Canaries 748 people per square mile, this compares with the UK’s 694 people per square mile, so the point seems not to apply here.
Interesting concept from a British point of view. Consideration of a Spanish perspective may
include a certain degree of resistance as their demographic is enjoying a decidedly lower incidence of covid.
Here in the US we are reminded of this very point when Mexico refused to permit Americans to enter their country as our numbers (%) far exceeded theirs.
Yes, there is an interesting parallel here—but it must be a shock to Americans that they have trouble entering Mexico when traditionally it has been the reverse.
Absolutely!
Love the irony, though…
Absolutely, love the irony, though.