All passengers coming to the UK from countries not on the Covid hotspot list may be required to complete four tests during their isolation phase.
Another major tightening of border policy is telling travelers from safer countries that they must perform the PCR tests at home during the usual 10-day quarantine period.
The mandatory test regime will be introduced on February 15 and, in addition to hotel quarantine, will be put on the “Red List” for travelers from 33 countries.
“When you arrive in the UK, you will need to take two tests during your 10-day isolation,” a government source explained. “It will be another level of protection.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce the new testing rules later this week.
It will be understood that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are performed on days five and eight of isolation, and results come back between 12 and 48 hours.
These are in addition to the test passengers a lot 72 hours before boarding their flight.
A fourth test on the fifth day of home isolation can also be done from arrivals – but this is optional. If it turns out negative, the traveler no longer has to isolate himself.
Both the optional fourth test and the first pre-departure test must be paid for upon arrival. It is unclear who will pay for the other two tests performed during the quarantine.
It came when the UK hotel quarantine plan went into chaos yesterday. Important political planks had yet to be knocked out, and industry leaders said ministers had given them little time
Lateral flow tests are cheaper and give results in 30 minutes – however, there are concerns that they are less effective, especially when self-administered. PCR tests can take up to three days to identify positive cases.
The plan mainly affects Britons returning home from abroad.
It is unclear how the two mandatory tests will be enforced. Currently, arrivals that break their mandatory ten-day quarantine can be fined – however, it’s not clear if that will be the case for testing.
They are expected to be provided with the standard PCR kits to self-test. However, you can also get details of the nearest Covid test center after completing a passenger search form.
Details of the plan will be announced next week.
It came when the UK hotel quarantine plan went into chaos yesterday. Important political planks had yet to be knocked out, and industry leaders said ministers had given them little time.
Last night there were still no details on how the border regulations will be adjusted to identify those who will be quarantined and separate them from those who do not.
A system that allowed travelers to book a room before arrival had yet to be put in place. The details are expected to be released next week, less than seven days before the program starts on February 15th. Another major concern is finding hotels with ventilation systems that don’t spread the virus, the Mail said.
Officials say they need to avoid a scenario like the one seen on cruise lines at the start of the pandemic, when Covid swept through the narrow decks of vacation ships.
Hotels eligible for the program must have rooms that can be properly ventilated and air conditioning systems that do not recirculate the air.
Part of the delay in starting hotel quarantine measures is due to the identification of buildings that meet these requirements.
Hotels eligible for the program must have rooms that can be properly ventilated and air conditioning systems that do not recirculate the air
Hotels had until 5:00 p.m. yesterday to apply to join the program and were given approximately 24 hours after the announcement on Thursday evening.
The government needed 28,000 rooms for 1,425 passengers a day before February 15.
Peter Ducker, executive director of the Institute of Hospitality, said many hoteliers had self-excluded because it was not financially viable. Room charges are limited to £ 80 plus VAT per night.
Last night, Travelodge dropped out of the race, but Accor – which owns the Ibis, Novotel and Mercure brands – suggested joining with the St Giles Hotel Group and Thistle Hotels.
Best Western offers up to 5,000 rooms. The hotel groups Accor, Oyo and Taj Hotels also offer rooms.
Police chiefs are against stationary officers in hotels – but have undertaken to track down rule violations.
A senior police source told The Daily Telegraph, “Our job should be to deal only with fleeing travelers, find them and return them.”
According to the tender documents, hotels are required to provide three meals per day to guests for 11 nights at a cost of up to £ 1,000 per person. The agreements last at least until March 31st.
The taxpayer will first pay the bill – which is estimated at around £ 50 million a month – before attempting to reclaim the money from the arrivals. A source told MailOnline that they were confident of getting the money back and suggested that credit card details could be taken over.
Travelers are tested twice on the second and eighth days of their stay.
Government-appointed security guards will be stationed on every floor and at entrances and exits, with the police on standby if passengers attempt to escape quarantine.
Rooms must be thoroughly cleaned for 72 hours after each stay.
Labor has angered the government over delays in the measures, noting that they will not occur until nearly two months after the South African variant is discovered in the UK
The UK hotel quarantine system will finally begin on February 15 – almost three weeks after its initial announcement
Secretary of State James Cleverly (left) insisted that the dramatic program needed “time to prepare,” although nearly three weeks had passed since it was first announced. Boris Johnson (right) said the policy was in preparation weeks ago
Security guards – government approved – have no power to prevent people from leaving hotels, but will be present to oversee them.
British Security Industry Association Vice-Chairman Tony Cockcroft said: “Security officers would not engage in physical restraint.
“You have no power to prevent someone from leaving, but many security guards are very good at defusing situations and calming people down.”
Mr Hancock said the government will be “vigilant” which countries will be subject to hotel quarantine measures.
During a visit to Gatwick Airport, he said, “We will be vigilant to ensure that the hotel quarantine we are introducing applies to the right countries where we see these new variants.
‘We have a global monitoring program and are working with international partners to make sure we can see where these new varieties are popping up, like Brazil and South Africa that we have seen so far, and that we can keep people here safe with us the new hotel quarantine. ‘
Arrivals queue up at Heathrow Airport as thousands come to the UK from abroad every day
Labor pointed out that the measures will take place almost two months after the discovery of the South African Covid strain in Great Britain and that they are “too little too late” – repeated calls for a blanket quarantine policy for all travelers and not just for countries on the “Red List” “.
But Mr Cleverly said ministers “take time to prepare a complex system” and a blanket approach is not appropriate. “We need time to make sure this works,” he said in a round of interviews.
“We have worked with international partners who have rolled out a similar package – New Zealand, Australia, for example – to see how it works,” he told Sky News.
“It’s very easy for you to say, oh, all you have to do is … but in hindsight it’s a wonderful thing.
‘This complements an existing package of measures that requires a test before departure, requires a notification form on departure and already requires 10 days of quarantine.
“So this complements the existing measures, and we want to make sure that this works and that we make the hotel industry aware of it.”
He added, “Of course not every hotel will do this, so it is not surprising that some hotel chains have not been contacted about it.”
The UK government is working on vaccination records for the British to go on vacation during the summer holidays. Greece will drop quarantine rules for those who can prove they had a sting
By Jack Maidment, Associate Political Editor for Mailonline and James Tapsfield, Political Editor for MailOnline
The UK government is working on “vaccination certificates” that could allow UK tourists to travel abroad for their summer vacation in a few months, it was claimed yesterday.
The Ministry of Transport, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Health are to develop options for a kind of vaccine certificate.
Work is now underway so that the UK will be ready should other countries require proof of vaccination as a requirement for quarantine-free entry.
It came amid speculation that Greece is preparing to waive quarantine rules for Brits who can prove they had the trick.
Tourism officials told The Times that British tourists would be allowed to travel to Greece as early as May.
That would be a massive lifeline for the country’s ailing tourism industry, which welcomes two million Britons each year.
Greece could welcome UK tourists back from May to waive quarantine for anyone who can prove they have received a coronavirus vaccination
The pace of vaccine adoption in the UK has raised hopes for a return to vacation abroad in the second half of 2021.
The government is aiming to have the most vulnerable groups in society vaccinated by the middle of this month, amid speculation that all adults in the UK could be offered a sting by May.
There are reports that plans are underway for a certification scheme for tourists to prove they are protected against Covid-19.
Several European countries, including Greece, Spain, Malta and Denmark, have already signaled support for such a plan.
Health officials had previously fired vaccination passports as there was no evidence that coronavirus vaccines prevented transmission and reduced serious illness.
However, buzz for the vaccine document has rebounded after recent studies showed that Covid-19 shocks interfered with transmission.
British tourists could enter Greece from May if they can provide evidence of vaccinations, tourism officials said.
Grigoris Tasios, President of the Greek Federation of Hoteliers, told The Times: “With the UK vaccination rate far exceeding all others in Europe and beyond, British travelers will be among the safest to travel here as early as May.”
The government aims to have the UK’s most vulnerable groups vaccinated by mid-February
The two million Britons who visit Greece each year contribute around £ 9 billion to the country’s economy.
Denmark also plans to introduce vaccination cards by the end of this month to revive business travel.
Tony Blair, a government adviser on Covid-19, last week called for vaccination records to be introduced.
His organization said the documents were “the only way to navigate that will allow people to travel internationally again”.
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