Two-day quarantine for all arrivals until all-clear is ‘huge blow’ to travel sector

BUSINESS trips and family Christmas holidays were left in disarray after all travellers arriving in the UK were told they must self-isolate for two days until they have a negative Covid PCR test.

Boris Johnson said the “tough” restrictions were needed to “buy time” for the country after the emergence of the omicron variant.

The news was met with dismay by the travel industry, which described it as a “huge blow” to a sector that was only just “getting back on its feet”.

The rules, expected to come in within days, mean travellers will again have to fork out for the more expensive tests, which can cost £25 to £400 a person. Short business trips to the UK could be hit hardest with the requirement to isolate on arrival. Travellers from any destination will have to take a PCR test before the second day after their arrival and will only be able to stop isolating after they get a negative result.

From today, travellers returning from red list countries will again have to quarantine for 10 days in state-sanctioned hotels, at a cost of more than £2,000 per adult.

Business leaders warned that the measures would “effectively kill” short business trips. One manager, Richard Lee, said “This seems massively disproportionate. Why not use a PCR entry test like most other countries? Having to isolate will effectively kill short high value business trips again.”

Bobby Lane, chief executive of Factotum, a business services company, said: “This has big implications for people that have booked holidays or business trips and can’t get the extra time off of work or change their plans.”

Mr Johnson said the restrictions were so UK scientists could work out how dangerous and vaccine-resistant the new strain was. “We are announcing tough measures for everybody travelling so that you have to do a PCR test as soon as you get back here and you have to isolate for 48 hours until you get a negative result,” he said.

The move marks a sharp reversal from ministers, who had been easing travel restrictions. The red list was brought back on Thursday after the new variant was confirmed. South Africa and five surrounding nations had direct flights suspended and people returning were told to isolate at home for 10 days.