New Delhi (NVI): The UK government has tightened travel restrictions with hotel quarantine and prison threat for rule-breakers with up to 10 years in jail as part of a stricter policy to tackle new variants of the coronavirus.
Under the new set of rules, expected to be effective from next week, passengers who hide travel information to the UK from Covid-19 hotspots could face a 10-year jail term.
While presenting the new measures in the UK Parliament, health secretary Matt Hancock said all visitors from abroad will need to enter quarantine hotels first. People who arrived in England from 33 high-risk countries would have to pay up to £1,750 to quarantine in government-designated hotels for 10 days, Hancock said while announcing the new norms, reports the Guardian.
Apart from that, the UK health secretary has also confirmed a new “enhanced testing” regime for all international travellers, with two tests required during the quarantine process from next Monday.
UK has designated most of South America, southern Africa, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates under red list countries. “Anyone attempting to conceal that they had been in one of the ‘red list’ destinations in the 10 days before arrival would face a prison sentence of up to 10 years,” Hancock was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
-ARK
