Friday, 29 Mar 2024

Coronavirus: Tui temporarily bans flights to Zante resort after spike in cases

Tui will stop holidays to a Zante resort after 16 coronavirus cases were linked to a flight returning to Cardiff from the Greek island last Tuesday.

The holiday firm said yesterday it would no longer be offering holidays to the resort of Laganas from Thursday.

It comes after more than 200 people have been asked to self-isolate after 16 COVID-19 cases were linked to passengers on TUI flight 6215.

One passenger told Sky News there was “not much social distancing” on the flight and “people didn’t seem to be very well educated in the use of wearing masks”.

A spokeswoman for the airline said it is “concerned to hear of Mrs Whitfield’s claims” and a full investigation would be taking place as the concerns “weren’t reported during the flight”.

The airline has previously stopped flights to Spain in July and cancelled all holidays until mid-June after virus fears.

It later began operating flights again after Madrid lifted its quarantine ban.

Greece has been added to Scotland’s quarantine list, meaning people who are returning from any of its islands or the mainland after 4am tomorrow (Thursday) will have to isolate for 14 days.

England’s health authority is now facing pressure from Welsh politicians to also enforce a quarantine for passengers returning to England after the spike in cases.

Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething said he would be pressing the UK government for an urgent meeting to consider the potential risk in Greece.

Restrictions for Greece were lifted in England in July when international exemptions were first permitted.

There were 14.0 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Greece in the seven days to 31 August, down from 14.9 a week earlier.

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A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, announcing the restriction, said the “importations of new cases from Greece is a significant risk to public health”.

He said “regular discussions continue” with the other three UK governments over restrictions.

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