Isle of Wight ferries reintroduce isolation measures for passengers returning home from Spain

Crews on Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel ferries have been asked to reintroduce isolation measures for passengers needing to quarantine on their way home from holidays in Spain.

Following the UK government's sudden decision on 27 July 2020 to revoke the 'travel corridor' arrangement with Spain, British residents already on holiday in the country were told that they would no longer be exempt from two weeks of quarantine on their return.

The Isle of Wight Council and the island's three ferry companies issued a joint statement on 28 July saying that passengers affected by this unexpected requirement would have to tell the ferries hours ahead of travel that they would need to stay in their car due to quarantining. The ferry operator will then make arrangements for them to remain in their vehicle, which may mean the crew will have to adjust the sailing time to make this possible, depending on the other traffic being carried on the car deck.

Quarantining passengers who travelled out as foot passengers are asked not to use any of the three cross-Solent operators by foot, in line with government guidance on them avoiding public transport. They will need to make arrangements to travel by car or taxi in a Covid-safe way.

Isle of Wight Council leader Dave Stewart said: 'Here on the island everyone has worked hard to keep the number of Covid-19 cases as low as possible.

'Coronavirus regulations mean that you must self-isolate for 14 days if you arrive in the UK from a country outside the common travel area, and this now includes Spain.

'You may be carrying the virus without showing any symptoms. So I would ask you to please respect the safety of our island community and to self-isolate for 14 days from your arrival.'