- Heavy financial penalties and potential jail time for
non-compliance
- All passengers travelling to England to take mandated
COVID-19 tests on Day 2 and Day 8 of quarantine
- Those who have been to a red list country required to
purchase ‘quarantine package’ covering hotel and testing
- 16 hotels contracted so far for an initial 4,600 rooms
Tough new enforcement measures ranging from Fixed Penalty Notices
to imprisonment have been introduced as the Health and Care
Secretary set out details of the government’s new quarantine
measures. Under the changes announced, from 15 February all
arrivals at English ports will be required to undertake two
mandatory COVID-19 tests – on Day 2 and Day 8 of their 10 day
quarantine.
The new measures build on those already in place which includes
refusing entry to non-UK residents from red list countries. All
passengers, no matter which country they have travelled from, are
already required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test
taken no more than three days before departure and must
self-isolate on arrival. A Passenger Locator Form must also be
completed with fines for those who fail to comply.
From Monday, anyone arriving who has been in a country on the
UK’s travel ban list in the previous 10 days will be required to
purchase a quarantine package. Bookings will be made through a
dedicated online portal and will include assigned government
transportation, food and drinks, accommodation in a government
approved facility, security, welfare and testing. The charge for
a single adult will be less than £1,750.
To ensure compliance, fines will be issued and will range from
£5,000 rising to £10,000 for arrivals who fail to quarantine in a
designated hotel. A £1,000 penalty will also be given to any
international arrival who fails to take a mandatory test,
followed by a £2,000 penalty to any international arrival who
fails to take the second mandatory test. This will be accompanied
by an automatic extension of the quarantine period to 14 days.
Passenger Locator Forms will now not only detail their travel
journey but also their quarantine and testing package. Anyone
attempting to conceal that they have travelled in a red list
country on their form could face a £10,000 fine or prosecution
and up to 10 years in prison.
The Health Secretary said:
“Our fight against this virus has many fronts. And just as we’re
attacking this virus through our vaccination programme, which is
protecting more people every day, we’re strengthening our
defences through these vital measures. So we can protect the
progress that we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”
The compliance and enforcement regime is end-to-end, and all
passengers should expect to be checked at various points
throughout their journey, such as:
- by carriers at the time of departure
- by airport staff throughout their journey
- by Border Force officers on arrival
- spot checks by Police, where appropriate, for those
quarantining at home
Government has been working closely with the aviation industry
and the country’s major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and
Birmingham to designate arrival ports. These airports account for
the vast majority of international arrivals into England and will
allow for close monitoring. Anyone arriving at a non-designated
port who has visited a red list country will receive a Fixed
Penalty Notice and still be required to quarantine in a Managed
Quarantine Facility. Government has so far contracted 16 hotels
with 4,600 rooms and more will be secured as needed.
There will be a security presence throughout with personnel
directing travellers on arrival, in transit and on arrival at the
Managed Quarantine Facilities. Security will also be present to
ensure passengers remain at their facility and, where necessary,
Police will be called upon to provide additional support.
Any passengers travelling back to England from countries not on
the travel ban list will be required to quarantine at home for
the same period (10 days) and abide by the same stringent testing
regime. In both cases, tests must be booked from a list of
government approved test providers. Test to Release will continue
to be in operation however arrivals will still be required to
purchase the two testing package.
Guidelines for travellers will be published on gov.uk and the
booking portal will go live on Thursday.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Summary of how the current rules for passengers are enforced:
- Firstly, passengers must show proof of a negative test in the
three days before departure
- They must also complete a Passenger Locator Form in the two
days before arriving in the UK
- Carriers must check both of these for every passenger before
they board the plane
- Passengers are then checked again by front line airport staff
and Border Force upon arrival. Passengers arriving without a
completed form and negative test face a £500 fine and the airline
faces a £2000 fine
- If they have been in a red-listed country in the past 10
days, they will be denied entry to the UK unless they have a
residency right
- All passengers must then self-isolate at the place they are
staying for 10 days after they arrive. We have enhanced these
spot checks to make sure people are self-isolating and they may
be referred for police action including a fine of up to £10,000
- We have also increased checks for those self-isolating and by
police at ports and airports.
