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LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - Lawyers for three of Europe's
biggest airlines said the British government's quarantine rules
for travellers were irrational and disproportionate at the
opening of a High Court challenge to the policy in London on
Friday.
The legal action by British Airways, easyJet
and Ryanair proceeded despite the government
saying the policy would be ended for English holidaymakers to
countries such as France and Spain, as the full list of
countries impacted by the change had not been published.
The government introduced a blanket rule that all travellers
arriving from abroad must self-isolate for 14 days on June 8,
arguing it was a crucial step to avoid a second wave of
COVID-19.
The airlines, which grounded planes due to the pandemic,
criticised the quarantine policy, saying it dealt a catastrophic
blow to the industry's hopes of recovery in the summer, and that
they had not been consulted on the move. They are seeking a
judicial review of the rules.
They also queried their scientific basis.
Tom Hickman, representing the airlines, contrasted the
blanket quarantine policy with the targeted restrictions to
travel around northern Italy when it was an early epicentre of
the pandemic.
"The fact that (travellers) are entering the UK from a
COVID-19 hotspot could provide some justification, but the mere
fact that they are entering the UK cannot," he told the court.
"The measures as a whole lack rational connection to the
objective of reducing the overall incidence of COVID-19 in the
UK."
In documents released ahead of the case, government lawyers
said there was no duty to consult airlines on the policy, and
that the government had taken scientific advice to inform its
response.
"The regulations are in any event a justified and
proportionate means of protecting public health in the face of
the pandemic," the government's lawyers said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden and
Stephen Addison)
