UK to introduce quarantine for int'l arrivals on June 8
Britain will introduce a COVID-19 quarantine for for travelers arriving from overseas from June 8, interior minister Priti Patel said on Friday, a measure that airlines have warned will devastate their industry.
All international arrivals, including returning Britons, will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days and provide details of where they will be staying to the authorities.
"Now we are past the peak of the virus, we must take steps to protect against imported cases triggering a resurgence of the deadly disease," Patel said at a news conference.
She said those that breached the quarantine in England could possibly be fined 1,000 pounds ($1,218), and that spot checks will be carried out by health and border officials. The quarantine measures won't apply to those arriving from the Irish Republic, and there are also exemptions for freight drivers, doctors and seasonal agricultural workers.
Unlike a great many other countries around the world, Britain has carried out few tests and checks on visitors, with quarantine limited only to arrivals from China in the beginning of the outbreak. That has resulted in accusations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has been too slow to do something, nonetheless it now also faces criticism over plans to bring in the quarantine.
Airline bosses have said the measures would have extreme repercussions, with Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's leader, saying they might be "unenforceable and unpoliceable" and would be ignored. "Introducing a quarantine at this time makes no sense and can mean not a lot of international aviation at best," said Tim Alderslade, LEADER of industry body Airlines UK. "It is merely about the worst thing government could do if their aim is to restart the economy."
--- Reuters, London
