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All UK citizens or residents returning to England from high-risk countries will begin checking into government-designated accommodation on Monday when the hotel quarantine regime begins to prevent the spread of new coronavirus cases.
People returning to England from 33 ‘red list’ countries, made up of access points with variants of Covid-19 in circulation, will need to be quarantined in hotels for 10 days.
Anyone who has been to one of the high-risk destinations will have to enter England through a designated port and have booked a quarantine package to stay in one of the government-run quarantine facilities.
The government has struck deals with 16 hotels so far, providing 4,963 rooms, and another 58,000 rooms are on hold, the Department of Health and Welfare (DHSC) said on Sunday.
Travelers arriving on or after Monday who have not visited a red list country must remain in quarantine for 10 days at home and complete two mandatory Covid-19 tests on the second and eighth days after arrival.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “As this deadly virus evolves, so must our defenses. We have already taken strong measures to limit the spread, protect people and save lives.
“With the appearance of new variants, we must go further. The rules that go into effect today will strengthen the quarantine system and provide another layer of security against new variants at the border. “
People must be quarantined in the hotel room, but exceptions that allow them to leave include the need for urgent medical assistance, to exercise, or to attend the funeral of a close family member.
The regulation establishes that departure for these exceptional reasons should only occur if the person “has received prior permission from a person authorized by the secretary of state for this purpose.”
People can only get to Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, London City Airport, Birmingham Airport, Farnborough Airport or any airport or military port, in accordance with the legislation.
Passengers arriving in England face fines of up to £ 10,000 for failing to quarantine, and those who lie on their passenger locator forms face up to 10 years in jail, Hancock announced last week.
The cost of a stay in a quarantined hotel is £ 1,750 for a single adult.
On Saturday, Heathrow said “significant gaps” remained in the hotel’s quarantine plan and a spokeswoman said it had not yet received “necessary guarantees” from the government.
On Sunday evening, the Heathrow spokeswoman said: “We have been working hard with the Government to support the successful implementation of the quarantine policy administered since Monday.
“Good progress has been made in addressing a number of issues. The queues at the border in recent days have been almost five hours and this is totally unacceptable.
“The Border Force has assured us today that they will have effective resources and processes at the border to avoid compromising the safety of passengers and those who work at the airport, which could require the suspension of some arriving flights.”
One of the Heathrow Airport hotels participating in the program is the Novotel London Heathrow T1 T2 T3, and it is understood that the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel is also participating in the program.
