The UK transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced that the country's travel corridors schemes are to be suspended from Monday 18 January at 4am. The move means that all but a very limited number of exempt travellers arriving in the country will be subject to quarantine.
Shapps said, “Travel corridors assess public health risk from the original SARS-COV-2, but it’s impossible for the Joint Biosecurity Centre to provide live scientific updates to predict which countries or regions will now originate new variants. Travel corridors are therefore suspended for now.”
“There will be more enforcement checks and fewer exemptions. International arrivals will need to have a negative Covid-19 test and self-isolate for ten days or test to release after five. This action will slow the spread of new variants whilst millions receive their vaccinations.”
In the daily briefing prime minister Boris Johnson said that following discussions with the devolved administrations the new measures would also apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the suspension, Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: “The BTA recognises that public safety must come first. With all travel corridors closed from Monday, it is imperative that the government issues detailed information on where essential travellers can get acceptable tests to meet the UK’s entry requirements.
“There are many essential workers who need to travel - medical researchers, energy suppliers and humanitarians to name a few. They must be able to undertake their vital work with confidence in procedures, and safe in the knowledge they can return home.”
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “The transport secretary confirmed this morning that very few Covid infections were brought into the UK from overseas last month so blanket quarantine only serves to prevent recovery in the travel sector. World-class, regular testing is the answer to reducing infections and enabling the sector to rebuild. The government needs to invest further to deliver what it promised many months ago.”
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the transport union TSSA, said: “This measure should have been put in place last March when our country first went into lockdown. The countries which have most successfully combatted this deadly virus – including Australia and New Zealand – have had tight border restrictions and mandatory quarantine as an early intervention, proving that it works.
“It’s better late than never, but this government is shockingly woeful at taking the action needed to keep people safe. They have failed our people, our economy and have countless lives on their hands."