Heathrow workers highlight safety fears
They claim travelers from red and amber countries are mixing with green
Workers at Heathrow are raising fears for their safety because of overcrowding at the airport.
The GMB union said its members providing security and hosting services have revealed that travellers arriving from red list countries are mixing with those from green and amber.
Travellers from different lists are stuck in a bottleneck before immigration, said the union.
Heathrow said measures put in place meant the risk of transmission at the airport is low.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said:
"I have been inundated by messages from concerned GMB members providing a vital service at Heathrow.
"Workers who desperately want to get the UK flying again but are in fear for theirs and their family's safety.
"GMB wants to know how the Government will mitigate further problems when more countries are added to colour-coded lists?
"As our quarantine hotels fill up, what measures do ministers have in place if more countries turn red?
"How will they cope with more bottlenecks at Heathrow and potentially elsewhere?
A Heathrow spokesman said:
"There are numerous measures to keep passengers and colleagues safe, including requirements for negative tests pre-departure for all international arrivals, enhanced cleaning regimes and ventilation in the immigration halls, dedicated Covid marshals to enforce social distancing and mandatory use of face coverings throughout the airport.
"As a result, the risk of transmission at the airport is low. The process the Government has designed for red list passengers triages passengers at Heathrow between aircraft gate and the immigration hall.
"Those from the red list are directed into a dedicated channel and separated from other passengers.
"After crossing the border, Government contractors then escort red list passengers to a segregated area of our baggage hall to collect their luggage before taking them to dedicated hotel quarantine transportation.''