Priti Patel lays out details of 14-day quarantine plan
Home secretary Priti Patel has confirmed that all overseas travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Speaking in parliament, Patel said that the blanket approach to incoming visitors was “necessary”, but said they were temporary restrictions.
The measures will be implemented on 8 June, with the first review set for 28 June.
Although the UK is past the peak of the infection, Patel said the measures were necessary as the country is “now more vulnerable to new infections being brought in from abroad.
“The government is acting now by taking a proportionate and time-limited approach to protect the health of the British people”, she added.
Under the plan, the much-discussed idea of implementing “air bridges” to other countries would not be considered until the first review.
She said that the UK would not allow a “reckless minority” to put the country’s recovery at risk, with a £1,000 the maximum fine for a breach of the isolation requirements.
Patel said the measures followed expert advice and were in line with the NHS’ test and trace service.
However, Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the government should lay out the reasons for introducing the measures at this point and not earlier.
He told MPs: “If these measures are necessary from 8 June, why have they not been necessary in recent weeks or from when they were first announced by the home secretary herself on 22 May?”
There are a limited number of industries which are exempt from the rules, including those who work in the food, logistics, or health sectors.
Arrivals to fill out “contact locator” form
Arrivals to the UK will be required to fill in a “contact locator” form, including details of where they will isolate and how they can be contacted.
The form must be completed in advance of travel, she added, and passengers will require a receipt in order to prove they have done so.
Borderforce will undertake spot checks and will be able to refuse entry to non-resident nationals who do not comply.
They will also be able to impose a £100 spot fine on those who do not comply.
On the subject of “air bridges”, which many have pushed for as a way around imposing blanket quarantine rules, Patel said the government was exploring “international travel corridors”.
She added: “Any international approaches will be bilateral and agreed with the other countries concerned.
“We need to ensure that those countries are deemed to be safe. We are not alone in our fight against this disease, or in the measures we have taken to stop it.”
Catherine McGuinness, head of policy at Canada Corporation, said that although public health had to come first, it was important for the government to consider the economic consequences of the measures.
“The current quarantine proposals will have a major impact on a range of sectors, including the City’s financial and professional services firms as well as our cultural institutions.
“It is vital that the Government adopts an internationally coordinated approach to get passengers flying safely as soon as possible, with ‘air bridges’ to countries with lower transmission levels one possible option that should be considered.”
Earlier in the day Ryanair, whose boss Michael O’Leary has been a fierce critic of the plans, said that the measures were “ineffective and completely useless”.
A spokesperson said: “We look forward to welcoming thousands of UK visitors going on their well-earned summer holidays to Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.
“We are equally confident that inbound visitors to the UK will not be deterred by this completely ineffective and useless quarantine measure, which both Priti Patel and Grant Shapps know cannot be implemented, cannot be policed and has no scientific basis supporting it whatsoever.”