New quarantine rules for passengers arriving into the UK come into force today which means passengers arriving from red list countries will have to stay in specially arranged hotels for 10 days at their own expense.
The new rules mean that anyone arriving from a red list country must book a quarantine hotel prior to arrival at a cost of £1750 which includes the hotel cost, transport to the hotel and coronavirus testing whilst at the hotel.
Current Red List countries include:
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of the 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
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
They are also only permitted to enter the country via specific airports including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham and Stansted.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The rules coming into force today will bolster the quarantine system and provide another layer of security against new variants at the border,”
The government says it has arranged deals with 16 hotels so far with almost 5,000 rooms available. They also reminded people that only essential air travel is permitted and the quarantine does not change that.
Scotland and Wales
Scotland has gone one step further and requires all passengers arriving from abroad to quarantine in hotels.
Although Scottish travellers not travelling from red list countries can get around the need to hotel quarantine by arriving into an airport in England and travelling back to Scotland where they only need to self-isolate at home.
There are currently no flights into Wales from outside of the UK so passengers are covered by the rules when arriving into England or Scotland.
