COVID: Heathrow Immigration Queue ‘Bottlenecks’ Raise Security Concerns, Union Says | Economic news

Heathrow workers raised concerns over overcrowding at the airport days after a traffic light system was launched to restart overseas vacations, according to a union.

The GMB said it had received reports from travelers from “red list” countries mixing up those from green and orange countries – which are deemed less risky.

He said members providing security and accommodation services at Heathrow reported travelers from different lists were “stuck in a bottleneck” ahead of immigration.

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Heathrow said it had many measures in place to ensure the safety of passengers and staff and the risk of transmission at the airport was low.

But according to the GMB, workers report that passengers from different lists mix without a screen to separate them and are forced to drink from the same communal water fountain.

The union also reported a lack of facilities for security guards who escort ‘red list’ arrivals and longer queues for coaches that take them to quarantine hotels – because local accommodation fills up and they must be transported further.

Nadine Houghton, GMB Country Manager, said: ‘I have been inundated with messages from concerned GMB members providing a vital service at Heathrow – workers who desperately want to fly the UK again but fear for their safety and that of their families.

“GMB wants to know how the government will alleviate other problems when more countries are added to the color-coded lists.

“As our quarantine hotels fill up, what measures have ministers put in place if more countries turn red?

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“How are they going to cope with more …