USA TODAY International Edition
England announces tough COVID- 19 border policies
Lying about risky travel? 10 years in jail possible
LONDON – Anyone arriving in England and found to have lied about a recent visit to a country on the British government’s travel ban list faces up to 10 years in prison under tough new coronavirus border policies announced.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said residents of the U. K. and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s “red list” will have to purchase a “quarantine package” that costs 1,750 pounds ($ 2,400) per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items.
Travelers who don’t follow the rules, including those arriving from a red list country without a hotel booked, also could be subject to a series of fines, he said.
“I make no apologies for the strength of these measures because we’re dealing with one of the strongest threats to our public health that we’ve faced as a nation,” Hancock told lawmakers Tuesday.
Travel from 33 countries, including South Africa, Portugal and all of South America, to England is effectively banned largely because of concerns over new variants of the coronavirus.
British and Irish citizens, as well as all other U. K. residents, are permitted to enter provided they self- isolate for 10 days after their arrival.
They won’t be able to quarantine themselves at home, unlike those arriving from countries not on the “red list.” Instead, they will have to buy – through a dedicated online portal – a package that included accommodation, food, beverages and PCR testing for “variant surveillance” on the second and eighth days of their quarantine.
The “enhanced testing” regimen, which is in addition to pre- departure tests, will be a requirement for everyone arriving in England, and anyone failing to do so will be fined.
Hancock, who has responsibility for health matters in England, said the government has contracted with 16 hotels for an initial 4,600 rooms. The hotels involved have not been identified “for commercial reasons.”
Those failing to quarantine in a designated hotel face fines of up to 10,000 pounds ($ 13,800.) The harshest potential penalty of up to 10 years in jail could be assigned to those people who lie about visiting any of the 33 countries on the “red list.”
Scotland is tightening its rules on international travel further than England, confirming it will require people arriving on all direct international flights to enter quarantine hotels. Scottish Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said England’s approach is “not sufficient.” Lobbying groups for the travel industry, one of the hardest- hit during the pandemic, said the new measures deepen a worsening 2021 outlook.
“Airports and airlines are battling to survive with almost zero revenue and a huge cost base, and practically every week a further blow lands,” Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, and Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines U. K, said in a statement.
How long the measures stay in place will depend on the path of the pandemic and whether new virus variants negate the rapid vaccine rollout in the U. K. Already, almost 13 million people have received their first dose, or about 20% of the adult population. The British government is set to announce on Monday the next stage of its vaccination rollout.
The government is hoping that its rapid rollout of vaccines, in addition to its border measures and lockdown, will see the number of COVID- 19- related deaths fall dramatically. On Tuesday, 1,052 people were reported to have died across the U. K. after testing positive for the coronavirus, taking the total to 113,850, Europe’s highest death toll.
Lobbying groups for the travel industry, one of the hardest- hit during the pandemic, said the new measures deepen a worsening 2021 outlook.
KEEP YOUR I’S LOW
ACROSS
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9 “Vaya con ___!” 13 Crossword hint
14 “In la- la land,” e. g. 16 Reverberate 17 Dines 18 Productions by single musical artists 20 Quantity ( Abbr.) 21 “Roger”
22 “Yes you do!” rebuttal
24 “The gram” 27 Gave a meal to 28 Alabama city where Annie Lee Cooper lived 31 State next to Idaho ( Abbr.) 33 React in horror, perhaps 36 Broadway actress Salonga
37 “Sounds good!” 38 Grad 39 Mennonite offshoot
41 Ran out of battery 42 Oodles
43 Tiny criticism 44 Perfect examples 46 Egyptian boy king 47 Muscle exercised by hammer curls 49 American currency ( Abbr.) 50 Unearth 52 Optometrist’s exam 56 Lavish, chilly tourist spot 59 Nay’s opposite 60 Routine with toprocks and freezes 63 Vehicles that might be jumbo 64 Unable to decide 65 Their sun god was Inti 66 Leave out 67 Hit
68 “Twilight” werewolf Clearwater 69 Itty- bitty
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25 “Children of Blood and Bone” author 26 The Little Mermaid’s name 29 Grade- A
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58 A single time 60 “Dynamite” band 61 One of nine for a typical sudoku grid
62 Flop ___ ( creatively unsuccessful period) 63 Quickly write