What are the UK’s quarantine rules - and why are they so controversial?
Senior Conservatives urging cabinet to ditch plans for mandatory 14-day self-isolation for overseas arrivals
The government is considering scrapping its planned 14-day quarantine rule for people entering the UK, according to sources.
From Monday 8 June, arrivals to the UK via plane, ferry or train must self-isolate for two weeks, even if they are normally resident in Britain or are British citizens. But a government insider told the BBC that ministers were examining ways around the coronavirus quarantine, amid warnings from MPs and businesses that the restrictions will damage the travel industry.
What are the quarantine rules?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Brussels-based news site EUobserver reported backed in March that nine EU countries had closed their borders entirely, while Germany has had quarantine measures in place since early April.
Now, the UK is set to follow suit, with government rules stating that new arrivals to the UK will “not be allowed to leave the place you’re staying for the first 14 days you’re in the UK except in very limited situations”.
The online advice says the only exceptions are if people arriving from overseas:
- • need urgent medical treatment
- • need support from social services
- • need food and medicine and cannot get them delivered or get a friend or family member to bring them
- • are going to the funeral of a close relative, or for other compassionate reasons
- • or in the event of an emergency such as a fire where the new arrival is staying.
Anyone caught breaking the rules may be fined £1,000 for refusing to self-isolate in England and Wales, and “could face further action”, says the government website.
However, people in some professions are exempt, including lorry drivers, police officers, seasonal farm workers and healthcare professionals, says the BBC.
The rules will also not apply to people coming from the Irish Republic, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Why are the plans controversial?
Junior housing minister Simon Clarke told BBC Breakfast that the quarantine policy was “a proportionate step” which would reduce the risk of new coronavirus cases being imported into the UK “just at the time that we are getting a grip on it”.
The mandatory quarantine is a “temporary, time-limited measure”, but its introduction is “vital”, he added.
But many other Tory MPs believe the move is not necessary and will further damage the UK travel and hospitality industries, the Financial Times reports.
Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, said: “It would be senseless to introduce a blanket quarantine, including travel from countries with very low - or no - Covid-19 infection. It would be wise to announce exemptions for such countries at the same time the quarantine is launched.”
Former cabinet minister David Davis said the quarantine plan sent a “terrible signal to the rest of the world” that the UK was still stuck under lockdown measures as other countries ease social distancing restrictions.
In response to such concerns, UK government officials are investigating whether transport corridors, or “air bridges”, could be allowed between the UK and other countries with similar or lower infection rates.
The plan was floated last month by senior Tory MP Huw Merriman and has won the backing of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Antony Gormley's Time Horizon – a 'judgmental army' of 100 cast-iron men
The Week Recommends Sculptures are 'everymen questioning the privilege of their surroundings' at the Norfolk stately home
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'King's horses take free rein through London'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Covid four years on: have we got over the pandemic?
Today's Big Question Brits suffering from both lockdown nostalgia and collective trauma that refuses to go away
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The hollow classroom
Opinion Remote school let kids down. It will take much more than extra tutoring for kids to recover.
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Excess screen time is making children only see what is in front of them
Under the radar The future is looking blurry. And very nearsighted.
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid-19: what to know about UK's new Juno and Pirola variants
in depth Rapidly spreading new JN.1 strain is 'yet another reminder that the pandemic is far from over'
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Long-term respiratory illness is here to stay
The Explainer Covid is not the only disease with a long version
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Covid inquiry: the most important questions for Boris Johnson
Talking Point Former PM has faced weeks of heavy criticism from former colleagues at the public hearing
By The Week Staff Published
-
China's pneumonia cases: should we be worried?
The Explainer Experts warn against pushing 'pandemic panic button' following outbreak of respiratory illness
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published