United Kingdom: travelers arriving from abroad now subject to a fortnight

Text by: RFI Follow

From this Monday, continental travelers will have to respect fourteen when arriving in the United Kingdom to avoid the importation of the coronavirus. By reciprocity, France has implemented a similar measure for anyone from the British Isles, regardless of their nationality.

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With our correspondent in London, Chloé Goudenhooft

Before being able to walk along the Thames or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, travelers from abroad, whether arriving by land, sea or air, must observe fourteen days of isolation in the place of their choice. The measure affects both Europeans and the British.

Only a few professions considered essential and travelers circulating in the common area between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands will be exempt from this measure which aims to avoid the importation of new cases of Covid-19 while the country relaxed restrictions in early June.

Controls and fines

Arriving in the country, it will be necessary to fill in an administrative form to indicate where this fortnight will be carried out and a fine of 100 pounds (112 euros approximately) could come to punish those who do not provide these explanations. Those who do not have a place to do this containment should contact the British authorities to find a place to be paid for at their expense.

During these fourteen days, regular checks should be carried out, and if a person is found to be in default, he or she risks a fine of 1,000 pounds (around 1,124 euros).

Contested measure

But airlines and hotel businesses are protesting against this measure and have called for the fortnight to be canceled. British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair denounced Sunday in a joint statement a device "  disproportionate  " and "  unfair  ". They co-signed an official letter addressed to the government on Friday, a preliminary step to possible legal action. "  We urge the British government to withdraw this ineffective quarantine, which will have a devastating effect on the British tourism industry and destroy (...) thousands of jobs,  " they said.

The coronavirus has claimed more than 40,000 confirmed lives (nearly 50,000 if suspicious cases are counted) in the UK and it continues to circulate actively.

Read also : Coronavirus: the UK launches its tracking application

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• Coronavirus
• United Kingdom
• Transport
• Tourism

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