On Saturday July 17, the Kings Arms finally threw in the towel, closing its doors for at least five days. This charming coastal pub in Salcombe, South Devon, England, has been forced to close in the height of the summer season because the majority of its workforce has been ordered to self-isolate. None of them are sick, but the anti-Covid app detected that they had been close to someone who was positive for the coronavirus. Having become contact cases, they must isolate themselves for five days, or even ten if it is a case in their own home.
A short distance away, another small café in Salcombe had already closed its doors under the same circumstances a week earlier. As for Salcombe Finest, a small company that rents luxury residences (3,500 to 9,000 euros per week) in this seaside resort, it struggles to have enough employees to clean and prepare the houses between two rentals. “One of the companies that manage our houses has only ten employees available out of fifteen currently, explains Kate Allen, who runs Salcombe Finest. If this continues, we will have to ask vacationers to leave earlier or arrive later. “ She is sorry, because the season is coming “Phenomenal”, with bookings up 75% from 2020. With borders still complicated to cross, many Britons have chosen to take their holidays in the UK.
England is experiencing a paradoxical situation. Since Monday July 19, there are no longer any health restrictions in place. Nightclubs can open to capacity, restaurants have no limits and masks are no longer required. But, at the same time, until August 16, contact cases are forced to isolate themselves, even if they are doubly vaccinated people. However, the virus is spreading very quickly, with almost 50,000 cases per day on average. Prime Minister Boris Johnson knows all about it: he himself is being forced into self-isolation for five days after coming into contact with his health minister, Sajid Javid, who is positive.
“Pingdemic” at Heathrow
Companies therefore find themselves making the big difference: theoretically, they can open as before the pandemic, but in fact, a large part of their employees cannot go to work. The week of 1er As of July 7, 520,000 Britons were ordered to self-isolate with the anti-Covid application alone, up 46% from the previous week.
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