People returning from more than 30 nations will have to quarantine for 10 days in government-approved accommodation in the UK.
Mandatory hotel quarantine for UK residents and nationals arriving from countries on the “red list” will come into effect on 15 February – more than two weeks after the move was first announced by the prime minister.
Under the policy, people returning from more than 30 high-risk nations will have to quarantine for 10 days in government-approved accommodation.
Countries on the list include all of South America, Southern Africa, Portugal and the United Arab Emirates – countries from where non-residents and nationals are already banned from entering the UK.
The policy is being introduced to avoid the importation and spread of new variants of COVID-19, amid fears that they could impact upon the efficacy of vaccines.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move at the end of last month, with the delay in implementing the measure drawing criticism from Labour and the travel industry.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said it was “beyond comprehension” that the policy would not come into effect until 15 February.
“We are in a race against time to protect our borders against new COVID strains. Yet hotel quarantine will come in to force more than 50 days after the South African strain was discovered,” he said.
How will hotel quarantine work in UK and how does it compare with other countries?
Which travellers will have to quarantine in hotels?
UK nationals and residents returning from 30 “red list” countries will be placed in quarantine in government-provided accommodation – such as hotels – for 10 days.
The red list countries are as follows:
Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Eswatini, French Guiana, Guyana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
What will happen when people arrive in the UK from a “red list” country?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said passengers will be “met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine”.
Foreign nationals and non-UK residents from those destinations – which include South America, southern Africa and Portugal – are already banned from entering the UK.
Read more on other countries approach to mandatory quarantine