People arriving in England from all destinations, including UK nationals, will soon face additional Covid tests, health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed today.
Anyone travelling to the UK currently has to show a negative result from a test taken no earlier than 72 hours before their departure.
The new "enhanced testing" regime will require everyone arriving in England to take PCR tests for Covid on days two and eight of the quarantine period. The existing test to release scheme will continue to be available for those who are self-isolating at home but that test on day five will be in addition to those on days two and eight.
In addition, Hancock confirmed UK and Irish nationals arriving in England from "red list" countries – those with high levels of infection or variants of concern – must quarantine in a government appointed hotel for ten days at a cost of £1,750 which will include the hotel stay, food, transport and testing.
This package must be booked in advance and an online booking portal will be launched this Thursday, 11 February. The programme initially features 16 hotels and the government has booked 4,600 rooms at these properties.
The new measures will commence on Monday 15 February. Hancock announced penalties ranging from £1,000 to £10,000 for those who fail to pre-book tests or who exit from self-isolation. Those who provide false information on their passenger locator forms face a prison sentence of up to ten years.
The health secretary said the UK government would work with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to introduce stricter rules for arrivals in those countries. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon has already said that the UK government's hotel quarantine plans did not go far enough and extended it to all arrivals.
Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: “The BTA recognises the need to prioritise public health at this critical stage in our fight against Covid-19. Today’s announcement of details around quarantine hotels and increased testing will bring business travel to a standstill, preventing thousands from doing their jobs.
"The health secretary recognised the work of ports across England but has singularly failed to see the impact of these decisions on their supply chain. The government’s latest decisions are inflicting mortal damage on livelihoods across the country.
"It is critical that the Government finally looks to the future. It must offer targeted support to our industry and lead the way in agreeing International Standards of entry.
"We risk being cut off from the world if we do not start mapping out the route to safe travel from this latest lowest point.”