Travellers returning to the UK from 33 “red list” countries will be sent to quarantine hotels for 10 days, the government has announced.
It is expected Brits will be forced to quarantine in hotels from February 15.
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Which countries are on the quarantine hotels list?
The full list of countries which will have to stay at a quarantine hotel are:
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Burundi
- Brazil
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- UAE
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
How will the quarantine hotels work?
Passengers returning from the “red-list countries” will face strict isolation rules.
Only high-risk countries and those with new variants are on the list.
People will be met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine.
The PM has unveiled the tough new border policy this afternoon after criticism the current measures don’t go far enough.
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What are quarantine hotels?
A quarantine hotel is a dedicated facility used to temporarily accommodate arriving travellers, while keeping them totally separate and isolated from the wider public.
According to reports, the government is in talks with IHG Group, who own Holiday Inn hotels, to be part of the scheme.
Checked luggage is transferred separately to the specially designated accommodation.
Travellers must then spend up to two weeks at the hotel, and are not allowed to leave their rooms with food and drink delivered every day.
Will I have to pay to quarantine in the hotels?
Yes, if the new hotel quarantine scheme is introduced similar to New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, arrivals will have to cover the costs.
This can vary depending on the country, but could cost each person up to £1,600 if isolating for up to two weeks.
The new measures would join the current mandatory negative coronavirus test required from all arrivals, taken no more than 72 hours before travel.
All travel corridors have also been scrapped meaning all UK arrivals must currently quarantine for 10 days but this can be done at home and can be reduced to five days with another negative coronavirus test.
Travel expert Paul Charles, founder of the PC Agency, warned that the UK could be cut off from the rest of the world for a year if an end date to the new measures is not put in place.
