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Hotel quarantine for UK arrivals ‘will start in weeks and cost £1,000 each’

UK arrivals may have to pay more than £1,000 to stay in quarantine hotels for 10 days, with Boris Johnson expected to approve a plan today
Boris Johnson will make a final decision on the matter today (Picture: Getty/Reuters)

UK arrivals could be forced to pay more than £1,000 each for 10-day quarantine hotel stays, with the Government set to reveal a plan today.

Boris Johnson will make a final decision on Tuesday as fears grow over the new Brazilian and South African coronavirus strains.

Senior ministers are set to discuss several options this morning but Whitehall sources have suggested hotel quarantine could apply only to people coming from countries with more contagious strains.

The system could take up to three weeks to implement, with travellers expected to pay more than £1,000 out of their own pockets, The Times claims.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi warned it is ‘far too early’ for Brits to be thinking about booking summer holidays, as he confirmed an announcement on the matter will be made later today.

He told Sky News: ‘There’s still 37,000 people in hospital with COVID at the moment, it’s far too early for us to even speculate about the summer.’

Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Matt Hancock are said to be pushing for a mandatory quarantine for all arrivals.

However, Mr Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps are believed to favour a more targeted approach that would apply to travellers returning from high-risk countries.

People queue at terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain January 22, 2021, in this image obtained from social media. Picture taken January 22, 2021. Pia Josephson/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
People queue at terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain January 22, 2021 (Picture: PIA JOSEPHSON via REUTERS)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: A British Airways airplane flies over a Premier Inn hotel as it comes in to land at Heathrow Airport on January 25, 2021 in London, England. The mayor of London is among those who have called for arriving travelers to be quarantined in hotel rooms upon arrival to the UK, in an effort to prevent new strains of the virus that causes Covid-19 from taking hold here. In other countries that have adopted this policy, travelers must pay for their accommodation in designated hotels and are delivered their meals during the period. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
A British Airways airplane flies over a Premier Inn hotel as it comes into land at Heathrow Airport on January 25, 2021 in London, England (Picture: Getty Images)

A small number of countries have adopted the measure so far, with a 14-day stay in an Australian quarantine hotel costing £1,692 for an adult. A similar stay costs £1,630 in New Zealand and £642 in Thailand.

Australia has gone a week without any cases, while New Zealand had been Covid-free for two months until one case was detected last week.

Travel industry sources say they expect mandatory hotels to be introduced ‘imminently’.

The Best Western hotel chain has confirmed bosses are waiting for a ‘green light’ from the Government on the move.

However, the Airport Operators Association and Airlines UK have warned tougher rules will be ‘catastrophic’ for the industry.

A statement said: ‘We have fully supported the Government to do what is right in the face of this pandemic, but policy should be based on evidence and there must be a roadmap out of these restrictions as soon as it is safe. 

‘The impact of further measures would be catastrophic. ‘They will impact vital freight and PPE (personal protective equipment) supplies and jeopardise tens of thousands of jobs and the many businesses that depend on aviation.

‘The Government cannot achieve its global Britain aspirations without airlines and airports.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. 

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source https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/26/hotel-quarantine-for-uk-arrivals-will-start-in-weeks-and-cost-1000-each-13964630/

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