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Two-week quarantines will be imposed on new arrivals to the UK from June 8, with potentially unlimited fines for anyone who breaches the measure to prevent new waves of coronavirus from overseas.
Home secretary Priti Patel announced on Friday that mandatory self-isolation would not apply to people coming from Ireland, medics tackling Covid-19 and seasonal agricultural workers.
Passengers will have to fill in a form providing their contact and travel information so they can be traced if infections arise, and they could be contacted regularly during the 14 days and face random checks from public health authorities to ensure their compliance.
Breaches would be punishable with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England, or prosecution with an unlimited fine, while devolved nations can set out their own enforcement approaches.
Border Force will be able to refuse entry to foreign citizens who are not UK residents during border checks while removal from the country could be used as a last resort, the Home Office said.
Anyone arriving by air, sea or rail will be advised to use personal transport to head to their accommodation and once there not leave for 14 days.
They will not be allowed to accept visitors, unless they are providing essential support, and should not go out to buy food or other essentials “where they can rely on others”, the department said.
The Home Office said if accommodation does not meet necessary requirements – with hotels, or with friends and family listed as options – they will have to self-isolate in hotel accommodation arranged by the government.
Officials said that those the new entrant is staying with would not need to quarantine, but they should avoid contact with each other where possible.
Patel said: “As the world begins to emerge from what we hope is the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, we must look to the future and protect the British public by reducing the risk of cases crossing our border.
“We are introducing these new measures now to keep the transmission rate down and prevent a devastating second wave.
“I fully expect the majority of people will do the right thing and abide by these measures. But we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others.”
A full list of exemptions from the measure will be published online, but it will include:
– Road haulage and freight workers
– Medical professionals travelling to help the coronavirus effort
– Anyone moving from within the common travel area covering Ireland, the Channel Island and the Isle of Man
– Seasonal agricultural workers who will self-isolate on the property they are working.
Ministers were continuing to consider forging so-called air bridges with other nations that have low transmission rates in order to allow some international travel.