First week of airport quarantine fails to result in a single fine

ZERO fines have been issued for breaches of quarantine in the first week since it was introduced, Number 10 has admitted, despite the policy costing the economy an estimated £650 million a week.

Neither the Border Force nor police have imposed penalties – either the £100 fixed fine for failing to fill out the locator form to enter the UK or £1,000 for breaching the requirement to selfisolate for 14 days.

The Government maintained it demonstrated high compliance, but critics said it was evidence of an “ineffective” policy and lax enforcement.

Lucy Moreton, professional officer for the ISU union for border force and immigration staff, said: “The margin of tolerance is massive.

“The whole point was not to get fines, it was to encourage compliance.

The only way realistically of a person getting a fine is if they set out to do it deliberately.”

Border Force is responsible for fines on arrival, but Public Health England oversees phone calls to people at their contact addresses to check if they are self-isolating – a system that one airline chief claimed could be easily abused if people answered their phone on a golf course or beach.

Paul Charles, a spokesman for campaign group Quash Quarantine, said:

“That says to me nobody is enforcing it, it doesn’t mean people are being compliant.” But a Home Office spokesman said: “We are seeing a high level of compliance and as of midnight last night, no fines had been issued. We expect this to continue as the vast majority of people will play their part to help stop the spread of this disease.”

The Government is under pressure to replace the blanket quarantine with “air bridges” to low-risk countries when the policy is reviewed on June 29. Antonio Costa, Portugal’s prime minister, said last night that talks with the UK to establish such an air bridge were “going well.”

Several airlines have changed their booking policies to let people who book flights for July and August change their booking for free as long as enough notice is given.

Flights by easyjet resumed yesterday for internal UK travel. Passengers on the first flight from London to Glasgow were not seated two metres apart.

Its first overseas flight is to Nice on Friday, although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is still advising against all but essential travel.