PM urged to toughen up quarantine rules for overseas arrivals
BORIS JOHNSON is facing calls from Conservative MPS to toughen up quarantine measures for overseas arrivals as an increasing number of countries resort to more draconian travel restrictions in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, a former Cabinet minister yesterday warned there was “growing disquiet” among backbenchers over the lack of enforcement at the border for people entering the UK.
While all travellers returning to the UK from high-risk countries are told to self-isolate for 14 days, they added that controls were needed to ensure the guidance was observed.
It comes after Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover and Deal, called for illegal immigrants to be automatically put into self-isolation for a fortnight following claims that they are not being routinely quarantined.
Last week, it also emerged that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, had argued for flights to be suspended from countries blighted by the coronavirus.
Ms Patel is believed to have expressed concern that passengers from hotspots such as Tehran, Beijing and Rome were still being allowed to land in the UK with few measures in place to ensure they remain in quarantine.
The Prime Minister, however, sided with Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, who warned that stopping flights would mean an end to the ongoing repatriations of British tourists, who have all been told to come home.
Since then, a number of countries including China and India have imposed blanket travel bans on all foreign visitors.
South Korea, which has been praised internationally for limiting the spread of the disease, yesterday announced it will place all international arrivals under two-week quarantine from April 1. The decision was taken after 40 percent of the 105 new cases reported in the past 24 hours were found to be overseas arrivals.
Yesterday, Chung Sye-kyun, the South Korean prime minister, said: “In order to effectively block entry for non-important purposes such as tourism, we will expand the compulsory quarantine measure to all foreigners coming in for short stays too.”
Australia, which has banned all foreign travellers, has asked all returning citizens to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
Highlighting reports that a quarantine centre could be constructed at Heathrow to ensure people observe the guidance, the former minister said: “There is a need for control at entry.”
Their comments were echoed by a second Tory MP, who said: “We’re a liberal, safe society, but when it comes to pandemics, we seem to have a very steep learning curve.”