Al Jazeera :
Travellers to the United Kingdom caught violating newly imposed quarantine restrictions could face a heavy fine of up to 10,000 British pounds ($13,800), and 10 years in prison, as the British government tightens measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its new variants.
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care said that the tough new enforcement rules, which include mandatory hotel quarantines for the first time, will come into force on February 15. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said that the new measures were necessary “to protect the progress that we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”
“The compliance and enforcement regime is end-to-end and all passengers should expect to be checked at various points throughout their journey,” he said.
Starting on Monday, all passengers to England regardless of where they are coming from are required to take two coronavirus tests on the second and eighth day of a 10-day quarantine period.
The new measures build on those already in place, including a requirement for all overseas arrivals to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test no more than three days prior to departure.
For contact tracing, all passengers are also required to provide contact information and travel history on arrival. ‘Red list’ countries
Under the changes, passengers coming from so-called “red list” countries, where the virus continues to spread widely or where new potentially more transmissible variants have emerged, are also required to buy a “quarantine package” to cover both testing and hotel accommodation during the mandatory quarantine.
Travellers to the United Kingdom caught violating newly imposed quarantine restrictions could face a heavy fine of up to 10,000 British pounds ($13,800), and 10 years in prison, as the British government tightens measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and its new variants.
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care said that the tough new enforcement rules, which include mandatory hotel quarantines for the first time, will come into force on February 15. Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said that the new measures were necessary “to protect the progress that we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”
“The compliance and enforcement regime is end-to-end and all passengers should expect to be checked at various points throughout their journey,” he said.
Starting on Monday, all passengers to England regardless of where they are coming from are required to take two coronavirus tests on the second and eighth day of a 10-day quarantine period.
The new measures build on those already in place, including a requirement for all overseas arrivals to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test no more than three days prior to departure.
For contact tracing, all passengers are also required to provide contact information and travel history on arrival. ‘Red list’ countries
Under the changes, passengers coming from so-called “red list” countries, where the virus continues to spread widely or where new potentially more transmissible variants have emerged, are also required to buy a “quarantine package” to cover both testing and hotel accommodation during the mandatory quarantine.
