[nudephil (OP)]

Here's a question from Raymond who caught Chris recently on BBC Radio 5 Live:

Given the degree of openness of the UK, typified most obviously by Heathrow, might the UK Government in its pandemic planning anticipate a potential requirement to restrict travel here sooner than other, more closed, countries? I.e. to be more cautious, because of that greater risk of spread?
.
If not, is there a reason why this is not factored into the UK's controls?

Can anyone answer?

[alancalverd]

(a) Common sense and good science says yes.

(b) Politics says that if you do nothing, you can't be blamed.

The principle of quarantine goes back hundreds of years and always works, but you have to actually do it, not faff about worrying that it might be unpopular. A government that allows infected persons to roam the public transport system in order to preserve Richard Branson's profits, will not get my vote.

[Bored chemist]

If not, is there a reason why this is not factored into the UK's controls?

The UK elected a "leader" whose election  ploy  was to  hide in a fridge in order to avoid  having reporters ask him questions.

[evan_au]

Singapore is also a major air transport hub. It appears that they are starting to open Changi airport for transit traffic, while still restricting travel to and from Singapore itself.

Since you can't easily control who is in contact with whom in an airplane or airport, perhaps the safest approach is to support the hotel sector, and insist on supervised quarantine in specified hotels for 2 weeks after arrival from other countries.
- This is less likely to create spread than quarantine in a cruise ship (where the crew are in high-density accommodation)
- This is likely to have better adherence than voluntary self-isolation
- This allows better access to testing for at-risk cases

Unless you are a citizen returning home, for now, international business is better conducted via videoconference (and museums are better visited on the web)...

[set fair]

The policy of the UK government is a secret, we can only surmise. It looks to me that it wants the virus to simmer ie keep R close to 1. So the quarantine thing is wholly political expediancy. My interpreation is: announce quarantine = look folks we're not going for herd immunity, Reconsider = actually this may be bad for the economy. It will be abandonned or applied to few.

[alancalverd]

You can't use "UK government" and "policy" in the same sentence. One or other word will have changed its meaning by the time you have uttered it. The only valid question is who is paying Dominic Cummings to pull the Prime Minister's strings?