U.K. will impose fines, quarantine or jail on arriving travelers who omit prior travel data

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The British government has announced measures to prevent the transmission of new strains of the coronavirus; the country is the most affected by Covid-19 in Europe.

The United Kingdom has hardened restrictions against Covid-19, and on Tuesday, February 9th, announced that it may arrest travelers who fail to declare their passage through Brazil and 30 other high-risk countries before coming to the UK.

Both Britons and residents who have passed through one of the 33 red-listed countries in the 10 days prior to travel will be forced to quarantine in a hotel. Anyone omitting this information may be arrested and fined. Passengers will be required to pay £1,750 (about R$13,000) for mandatory quarantine in a hotel.

“Anyone who lies on the passenger locator form and tries to conceal that they have been in a country on the ‘red list’ in the ten days before arrival here, will face a prison sentence of up to ten years,” British Health Minister Matt Hancock told Parliament.

The United Kingdom is the country most affected by the pandemic in Europe, and now totals over 113,000 deaths from Covid-19 complications. In mid-January, the British government had announced a travel ban for passengers coming from Brazil, Portugal and all of South America.

The travel ban does not apply to British citizens who want to return home or to foreigners with residence permits in the United Kingdom, but all travelers who pass through these countries will be required to undergo a compulsory ten-day quarantine.

Hancock said quarantine must be carried out in one of the government’s designated hotels. Each passenger will have to pay the full accommodation costs, set at £1,750.

In addition, all travelers reaching the country will need to undergo two RT-PCR (cotton swab) tests to detect Covid-19 – the tests, which cost around £120 each will be paid by travelers.

An earlier decision by the British government required the submission of negative tests, conducted up to 72 hours prior, for foreign travelers landing in England or Scotland – including nationals.

To ensure that these rules are met, Hancock announced that anyone who refuses to take the test will be fined up to £2,000 (R$15,000). Citizens or residents who fail to comply with quarantine may have to pay up to £10,000 (R$75,000).

Source: G1

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