Majority of Britons support quarantine hubs for those exposed to Covid-19
The UK Government should set up quarantine centres aroundthecountrywheresuspected coronavirus patients can be sent to ensure they do not infect anyone else, the public has said in a poll.
A majority of Britons said they supported copying countries such as Hong Kong by introducing state-supervised quarantine as part of the next stage of lockdown.
Plans for a “test, track, trace” strategy will see anyone who comes into contact with someone else who has Covid-19 told to self-isolate at home for up to two weeks.
Some countries in Asia have taken a more aggressive approach, by putting suspected cases in a government-run centre, such as a requisitioned hotel, or using technology to ensure they never leave their home. In Hong Kong, those who have come into contact with coronavirus are given a small room in a quarantine centre, usually a holiday park that has been taken over by the authorities. The same strategy is also applied to new arrivals in some countries such as New Zealand where anyone travelling from abroad must spend 14 days in “managed isolation facilities” before going to their home or other destination.
In the UK, fewer than 300 passengers arriving from China and Japan in the early stages of the pandemic were quarantined by the Government. But a poll carried out by Redfield & Wilton Strategies suggested 52 per cent of people would support mass quarantine centres in Britain with 29 per cent disagreeing.
Asking whether they personally would be willing to enter a state-run quarantine centre for two weeks if one of their contacts contracted Covid-19, 50 per cent said yes and 34 per cent said no. Asked if the Government would consider the idea of quarantine centres, a No 10 spokesman said: “I’m not aware of any plans in that regard.”