The United Kingdom’s government has announced that starting on 8th June, passengers arriving from international destinations must quarantine/self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of symptoms.
After arriving in the UK, passengers have to inform authorities where they will be isolating, and will be subject to subsequent spot checks, with a £1,000 fine for anyone found to be in violation. Travellers from the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not affected, and those from “low risk” nations will also be initially exempt.
The government claims that this is a measure to stop a ‘second wave’ of the Coronavirus pandemic, however the plans have come under criticism from all corners. These kind of measures are most effective in the containment phase of a spread, which would have been in February or early March for the UK. But now, Covid-19 is already widely spread in the country.
Airport authorities and airlines have expressed their displeasure at the ruling. The timing of the implementation is set to hurt airlines the most, just as many are starting to reinitiate some of their schedules. The measure is likely to prevent any travellers coming into the UK for tourism reasons and could also deal a further blow to the country’s struggling economy.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
