The British government plans to introduce a 14-day quarantine period for almost everyone entering the country from June 8.
WHO DOES IT APPLY TO?
Everyone arriving in the UK will be required to self-isolate for 14 days except those on a list of “limited exemptions” which the Government said it would publish later.
Exemptions include:
- Road haulage and freight workers
- Medical professionals who are travelling to help with the fight against the coronavirus
- Anyone moving from within the Common Travel Area, which covers Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
- Seasonal agricultural workers will be able to self-isolate on the property where they are working
The government says it will continue to look at options such as air bridges; agreements between countries who both have low transmission rates, to remove the need for quarantine measures.
WHAT WILL PASSENGERS HAVE TO DO?
All arriving passengers will have to fill in an online contact form providing details and travel information so that they can be contacted if they, or someone they may have been in contact with, develops the disease.
This will include giving details of their self-isolation accommodation and if it doesn’t meet the necessary requirements, they’ll be required to self-isolate in facilities arranged by the Government, at the passenger's expense.
The Government said people should use personal transport to travel to their accommodation where possible.
They should not go to work, school, or public areas, or use public transport or taxis. They should not have visitors, including friends and family, unless they are providing essential support and should not go out to buy food or other essentials if they can rely on others to do so.
WHAT PENALTIES WILL BE IN PLACE?
The new regime will be in place across the United Kingdom, although enforcement measures will be set individually by each of the devolved nations.
In England, breaching the self-isolation rules will be punishable with a £1,000 fine, or potential prosecution and unlimited fine. The level of fine could increase if the risk of infection from abroad increases.
Border Forces may refuse entry to any non-British citizen who refuses to comply with these regulations and is not resident in the UK.
Failure to complete the contact form will incur a £10 fine. The Government said Public Health Authorities will conduct random checks in England to ensure compliance and foreign nationals who refuse to follow the rules may be deported.
HOW LONG WILL THE SCHEME LAST?
The rules will come into force on June 8 and will be reviewed every three weeks with the first review scheduled to take place by June 29 to consider the following factors:
- The rate of infection and International Transmission.
- The measures International partners have put in place.
- Levels of imported cases in other countries where there are more relaxed border measures.
- The degree to which antibody and other testing methodologies prove effective in minimising the health risk.
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Another tactic to distract people from the Dominic Cummings saga and if they’d closed the boarders in March instead of letting 2 million people in we wouldn’t have this problem and as far as the penalties go don’t they think the health authorities have enough too do apart from how are they going to staff this brainwave and I’d just pay the £10 and fill the form co Mickey Mouse Disneyland it’s a total farce
The UK Government’s virus policy continues to lack any semblance of planning, timing or scientific backing. They seem hellbent on destroying any relationships with Europe, or indeed the rest of the world. Not to mention the economy. Why they decide to impose a quarantine now, when the UK has the worse virus related reputation in Europe makes no logical sense. It’s pure madness. Perhaps it’s intended to distract us from the disastrous Brexit talks, or the lack of adherence to ‘lockdown’ since the infamous Dominic Cummings incident. When the Conservatives own 1922 Committee takes issue with a policy, you know the party is doomed. Let’s hope the same does not apply to the country.