LONDON — People arriving in the U.K. from overseas will need to self-quarantine for 14 days from June 8, Home Secretary Priti Patel said Friday.
The new measures will apply to all residents and foreign nationals, with exemptions in place for truckers and freight workers, medical professionals working on the coronavirus response, and seasonal agricultural workers, who will be permitted to self-isolate on the property where they are working.
Those moving within the U.K.s Common Travel Area with Ireland will also be exempt.
Those who breach their quarantine in England will face £1,000 fines or potential prosecution. While the new rules apply to the whole of the U.K., Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be responsible for their own enforcement.
All arriving passengers will have to fill in a form, before they arrive in the U.K., providing contact details and onward travel plans, so that they can be contacted if they, or someone they may have been in contact with, gets the virus.
The U.K.s Border Force will be empowered to refuse entry to non-resident foreign nationals who refuse to comply. Failure to complete the “contact locator form” will be punished by a £100 fine, and public health authorities will carry out random checks in England to ensure compliance with the quarantine measures.
Anyone who cannot self-isolate at home, in a hotel, or with friends or family, will be required to stay in facilities organized by the government. Travelers are recommended to travel to their place of quarantine in personal transport, such as a car, where possible.
The U.K. measures comes as many EU countries are rethinking their quarantine requirements. Germany announced plans to loosen quarantine rules earlier this month and Italy is set to follow. France however introduced a voluntary two-week quarantine this week.
So-called “air bridges” — agreed between the U.K. and countries with a low rates of coronavirus infection where citizens are allowed to enter without quarantine — are still being considered by the government, but no such arrangements are yet in place. The overall policy, including the list of exemptions, will be reviewed every three weeks from the date the measures come into force.
“We are introducing these new measures now to keeRead More – Source
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