Passengers arriving at British airports and ports could be told to quarantine for up to a fortnight under plans being drawn up by government officials.
Reports suggest the plan would be similar to one operated in Singapore. Since March 20, all arrivals into Singapore have been required to provide an address for where they will spend their 14-day ‘Stay Home Notice’ with failure to comply resulting in a fine, imprisonment or having residency or work passes revoked.
Those who fail to adhere to the 14-day quarantine on UK soil could also be handed large fines or face criminal prosecution under the Coronavirus Act, according to the Mail on Sunday. Those flying into the UK will have to provide authorities with the address for their period of isolation.
ITV news reporter Paul Brand tweeted to say Downing Street had confirmed the policy but, in Sunday’s daily coronavirus update, environment secretary George Eustice said “no decisions have been taken” on a self-isolation period when questioned on the matter.
Eustice said: “There’s been a lot of speculation. As we move to a new phase at some point in the future, and we are not there yet, international travel could become a more significant part of the risk to manage.
“At the moment, a lot of the evidence suggests it’s only a tiny proportion of the cause of the coronavirus outbreak. If we get to that point, a number of measures will be considered. No decisions have been taken taken in this space yet.” He added that the UK had kept its borders open to continue vital trade.
It comes following reports that 15,000 people arrive in the UK each day, with hundreds of thousands of Brits repatriated from around the world since the coronavirus crisis began.
Many other countries, including as Australia and New Zealand, have already implemented a mandatory 14-day self-isolation of arrivals.
Earlier this week the boss of Gatwick suggested virus tests 48 hours before flight departures should be made compulsory once lockdown is lifted.
