U.K. Arrivals Face Fines for Breaking 14-Day Quarantine

(Bloomberg) --

Passengers arriving in the U.K. will be forced into quarantine for two weeks and face fines of 1,000 pounds ($1,200) if they break the rules.

The plan, which will take effect from June 8, is designed to stop travelers bringing coronavirus into the country after becoming infected overseas, and is likely to have a major impact on the aviation industry’s attempts to recover after the lockdown.

Home Secretary Priti Patel set out the details of the new quarantine system at the daily government press conference on Friday. The measures will be reviewed every three weeks, along with the rest of the U.K.’s coronavirus response.

“As we are taking this action, we’re taking it at a time when it will be most effective,” Patel said. “Now we are past the peak of this virus, we must take steps to guard against imported cases.”

Spot checks will be carried out to ensure people are complying with the rules, she said. Anyone who doesn’t have a suitable place to quarantine will be put into a hotel at their own expense.

Patel said there would be a small list of exceptions. They include freight drivers, health staff and foreign officials such as the French police, according to Paul Lincoln, director general of Border Force. The quarantine won’t apply to people coming from Ireland.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday that ministers are considering “air bridges” to allow quarantine-free travel to and from countries where virus infection rates are low. Patel said it was “not for today” -- though said she wouldn’t rule it out for the future.

Business groups criticized the quarantine policy, saying it would hamper Britain’s economic recovery.

“This sort of thing does not create or sustain a global reputation, nor the impression of re-opening for business,” said Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The government should take a risk-based approach and allow entry from countries with low incidence of the virus, he said. “Businesses in many sectors that depend upon aviation will this evening be baffled.”

Britain’s largest manufacturing lobby also expressed disappointment at the policy, calling it an “isolationist“ measure. The quarantine “will prevent many essential daily cross border journeys to provide service and maintenance,” said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make U.K.

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