HOLIDAYMAKERS face a two-week quarantine if they travel abroad this summer.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced the 14-day isolation measures for anyone coming into the UK as part of plans to stop imported cases of coronavirus.
With the exception of a small list of professions, anyone entering the country will have to self-isolate for a fortnight from June 8, and provide details of the accommodation where they will do so.
Any new arrivals will have to fill in a contact form in case they fall ill or someone they have been in contact with develops the virus and failure to complete it could result in a £100 fine.
The Home Secretary said the measures would “protect the British public” and explained: “As the world begins to emerge from what we hope is the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, we must look to the future and protect the British public by reducing the risk of cases crossing our border.
“We are introducing these new measures now to keep the transmission rate down and prevent a devastating second wave.
“I fully expect the majority of people will do the right thing and abide by these measures. But we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others.”
People who fail to comply with the strict measures could be fined heavily, with the level of fine being increased depending on the level of infection risk from abroad.
In England those who flout the rules face a £1000 fine, while Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have yet to set out how they will enforce the rules.
Professor John Aston, Home Office Chief Scientific Adviser said: “The scientific advice so far has been clear: while there has been significant community transmission of the virus within the UK the impact of putting in place additional border restrictions would have been negligible to the spread of the virus.
“However, the spread of the virus within the UK is now lessening. We have been successful in getting the reproduction number R – the average number of new people infected by one infected person – below 1.
“As the number of infections within the UK drops, we must now manage the risk of transmissions being reintroduced from elsewhere.”
Medical professionals travelling to fight the coronavirus, road haulage and freight workers will not be required to quarantine, and neither will anyone coming from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Seasonal agricultural workers will self-isolate on the property they are working on.
The restrictions are to be reviewed every three weeks by officials who may tighten or relax them if the risk of spreading the virus falls or rises.
While the UK Government say the measures are necessary to prevent the virus spreading, aviation and transport firms say the plans will push their companies closer to collapse.
Holiday firm Jet2.com announced today it has cancelled all of its holidays in June, scrapping plans to restart services from June 17.
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