Covid: Poland and Turkey Added to UK Quarantine List as Fines Increase

Travelers arriving in the UK from Poland, Turkey and three Caribbean islands will have to self-isolate for 14 days starting at 04:00 on Saturday.

It comes after an increase in the infection rate in affected countries, with Poland reporting 25.9 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people, up from 15.6.

There will also be stiffer fines for those who do not self-isolate, up to a maximum of £ 10,000 in England.

One group of airports says it is an “additional blow” to a sector “in trouble.”

The UK reported a further 6,914 coronavirus cases and 59 deaths on Thursday, and stricter measures have been announced to control an increase in areas of northern England.

In announcing the changes to the quarantine list, Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps said that data from Poland showed that “the positivity of the tests has almost doubled, from 3.9% to 5.8% along with a rapid increase in weekly cases. “

He said Turkey had been added to the list because the UK had concerns about the way authorities reported its data.

Arrivals from the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba will also have to be quarantined starting Saturday, he added.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government announced that those arriving from the Azores and Madeira will no longer need quarantine in Scotland “due to the low number of cases”.

His statement added that it was “clear that the number of cases in Turkey has not been reported.”

The reported infection rate in Turkey has dropped to 12.9 cases per 100,000, down from 14.2 in the previous week.

It has also been announced that fines for the first offense of failing to self-isolate when necessary will start at £ 1,000, before increasing to £ 2,000, then £ 4,000 and up to a maximum of £ 10,000 in England. The upper limit for repeat offenses was previously £ 3,200.

The increase in the fine will take effect from Friday.

Since the introduction of the travel quarantine regime in the summer, police officers have investigated more than 4,000 suspected rule violations.

More than 200 people were found to be ignorant of the quarantine requirement, but escaped a fine because they heard the officer at their door. Overall, there were only 38 penalties for violating the holiday quarantine.

The Manchester Airports Group, which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said the removal of Poland and Turkey from the safe travel list “means that a large proportion of the markets that our Passengers often traveling are now effectively closed, despite many of them having much lower infection rates than in the UK. “

The announcement “is a further blow to the already struggling aviation sector,” according to a statement.

The group said it was “vital” that the government establish a testing regime “that would allow for a safe reduction of quarantine periods for passengers arriving from abroad.”