Covid-19: UK Border Health Measures Debate

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Department: Home Office

Covid-19: UK Border Health Measures

Yvette Cooper Excerpts
Wednesday 3rd June 2020

(4 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Priti Patel Portrait Priti Patel
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My hon. Friend is right: there will be a range of measures, and I emphasise that this is part of our ongoing dialogue with the industry. It is not just for the Government to specify the type of actions that the sector should undertake; we have to innovate together and look at new international aviation health screening options and opportunities, and at how we can work to innovate and set these standards internationally. We want to be at the forefront of that, and we urge our industry to do that as well.

Yvette Cooper Portrait Yvette Cooper (Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab)
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Sir Patrick Vallance has said that the crisis escalated in this country as a result of many, many cases coming from Spain and Italy during March. So clearly, the triage system was not working. The Home Affairs Committee was also told that in a 10-day period from 13 to 23 March, up to 10,000 passengers with coronavirus are likely to have arrived at our ports and airports. The Home Secretary has still not published the science that we were promised behind those decisions. Can I urge her now to do so and to tell us her estimate of the number of people who, in the next three-week period, are likely to arrive in the UK with coronavirus?

Priti Patel Portrait Priti Patel
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I thank the right hon. Lady for her comments. I have already been clear about the measures that were brought in.