Covid: Arrivals to England from virus hotspots face hotel quarantine

EPA

British residents arriving in England from Covid hotspots will have to quarantine in hotels, Home Secretary Priti Patel is expected to announce.

The measures will apply to people coming from most of South America, southern Africa and Portugal, amid concern over new variants of the virus.

Most overseas visitors from those countries are already barred from entering the UK.

But Labour said hotel quarantines should be mandatory for all arrivals.

British nationals and those with residency rights who arrive from high-risk countries will be required to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense for up to 10 days, in a bid to improve compliance with self-isolation rules.

• What are the UK travel rules?
• What it's like cooped up in 'Hotel Quarantine'
• How worrying are the new coronavirus variants?

Senior ministers met on Tuesday night to approve the plan, following days of disagreement over the details.

They also agreed that if other areas are designated as high risk in the future then the requirement for hotel quarantine would be extended.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had argued for a targeted approach to quarantine, while the home secretary had favoured its more widespread use, according to BBC political correspondent Iain Watson.

Ms Patel will set out further details in the House of Commons later, including the timescale for the policy and who will be exempt.

She told MPs on Tuesday that the government "will not hesitate to take further action" to protect the UK from new variants and said "measures are always under review".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for tougher measures to combat the spread of new variants from abroad.

He told reporters on Tuesday: "It's very clear that we need to have quarantine comprehensively in hotels for everybody coming into the country, we need much stronger defences at our borders."

• QUARANTINE: What are the UK travel rules?
• TESTING: How do I get a virus test?
• SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?
• LOOK-UP TOOL: How many cases in your area?

However, the Airport Operators Association and Airlines UK said the country already had "some of the highest levels of restrictions in the world" and introducing stricter rules would be "catastrophic".

At the moment, incoming travellers have to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test on departure, taken in the previous 72 hours. Then they still have to quarantine for up to 10 days, although this can be done at home.

Those who do not comply will face a fine of £500, with Border Force officials carrying out spot checks.

In England, the self-isolation period can be cut short with a second negative test after five days.

Quarantine rules are set separately in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but have tended to differ only slightly

Hotel quarantine is already in use in countries including New Zealand and Australia.

• DOCTOR CHATTERJEE: With another lockdown in place, how can we manage our health and wellbeing without feeling overwhelmed?
• I'M NOT A MONSTER: An American mother living in the ISIS caliphate, and all is not as it seems. Where does her account end and the truth begin?

Let's block ads! (Why?)

January 27, 2021 at 04:30PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55821702