LONDON: The UK “will not hesitate” to add more countries to its travel quarantine list in order to protect public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said on Friday. His remark came after the country announced late Thursday night that arrivals to the UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
Asked whether tourist destinations such as France could be next to be added to the quarantine list, Sunak told the BBC that the government is keeping the situation “under constant review” and that people should “be mindful” of the “risk” of disruption to travel given the global pandemic. He urged holidaymakers to constantly look at government guidance and “make the best decisions they can, knowing we live in uncertain times”.
Also speaking to Sky News on the issue, he said the government was doing “the right thing”, keeping the situation “under review on a constant basis” and consulting with scientists and medical advisers. If action was needed, the government would “not hesitate to do that”, he said, in order “to protect people’s health”.
The new rules for Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra have already come into force in Wales and will take effect in the rest of the UK from Saturday. Quarantines have already been re-imposed for travellers from Spain and Luxembourg.
According to government rules, people who do not self-isolate when required to after being abroad can be fined up to 1,000 pounds in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Those returning to Scotland could be fined 480 pounds, with fines up to 5,000 pounds for persistent offenders.
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