A day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for tighter restrictions in the UK, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has consoled citizens stating that the government is looking into compensating people whose travel plans were scrapped due to the new restrictions. Hancock said the Treasury and the Department for Transport were looking at the options after last minute changes to the rules. He said, “That is something that the Treasury and the Department for Transport are looking at, because we understand the point that people are making.”
The update comes after multiple European countries, including the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and Italy announced bans on flights from the UK due to fears over a new variant of the coronavirus which could be 70 per cent more infectious. Eurostar trains between Belgium and the UK have been cancelled from December 21, following the Belgian government's announcement that borders with the UK closed at midnight on December 20. Meanwhile, there will be no trains running between London, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Tour operator TUI has also cancelled all flights out of London Luton airport as it falls under the new Tier 4 measures. However, TUI will “continue to operate out of Gatwick and Stansted which are located in tier two areas.” A company spokesperson was quoted as saying, “Any customers that live in tier four and are due to depart in the next 14 days will be entitled to cancel and receive a full refund or amend for free to any holiday that's currently on sale.”
Johnson announced stricter measures in London, the South East and East of England over the weekend amid concerns about the spread of a new strain of the virus. He introduced a fourth tier of Covid-19 restrictions in the regions, as well as unveiling tighter plans around households gathering during Christmas.
