(Adds details on hotel quarantine)
LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain is looking at greater
testing of all people who have arrived from abroad while they
are self-isolating to defend against new variants of the virus
that causes COVID-19, a minister said on Tuesday.
Airlines have been brought to their knees by the pandemic,
with travel restrictions forcing once fast-growing brands like
Norwegian to fight for survival while established
names like British Airways have raised cash and laid
off thousands of staff.
ITV reported that all international arrivals would have to
be tested for COVID-19 on the second and eighth days of their
self-isolation.
"We are constantly looking at refining our approach to the
border simply because there is a risk from new variants coming
from other countries around the world," Environment Secretary
George Eustice told Times Radio.
"Until we have fully rolled out the vaccine and identified a
way to be able to update the vaccine to meet new challenges we
do have to exercise some caution about international travel," he
said.
Arrivals in England must currently have proof of a negative
COVID-19 test in the past three days and then self isolate for
10 days from departure.
The British government is due to require travellers arriving
from COVID-19 hot spots to quarantine in hotels from Feb. 15.
Travellers from countries deemed high risk such as South Africa
would have to stay for 10 days in such hotels.
But the government is still in talks with hotels on the
measures, which were introduced in places such as Australia in
March 2020.
"Those discussions haven't yet concluded so there aren't
hotels yet," Eustice told LBC Radio.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton, Editing by
Paul Sandle)