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(Updates after government statement)
By Sarah Young
LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Britain said it would bring in
tighter border controls next week against new variants of the
coronavirus, requiring hotel quarantine for arrivals and
threatening rule-breakers with up to 10 years in jail and fines.
Under lockdown rules, holidays are banned, and testing
regimes and quarantine are already in place for travellers, but
the government said on Tuesday it would bring in extra measures
due to the risk of new variants on which vaccines may not work.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said people could be sent to
prison and fined up to 10,000 pounds ($14,000) if they broke the
rules which come into force on Feb. 15.
"Anyone who lies on the passenger locator form and tries to
conceal that they've been in a country on the 'red list' in the
10 days before arrival here, will face a prison sentence of up
to 10 years," he told parliament.
British and Irish nationals arriving in England from the
most high-risk countries, those on the "red list" such as South
Africa, would need to pay 1,750 pounds and spend the minimum
10-day quarantine in an assigned hotel, Hancock said.
The government, already criticised for being slow to bring
in tougher border measures, said it had contracted 16 hotels for
an initial 4,600 rooms and would secure more as needed.
The tighter restrictions prompted a new cry for help from
airlines and airports, already brought to their knees by the
pandemic.
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 government would introduce a
requirement for additional tests, Hancock said.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton, Editing by
Paul Sandle, Michael Holden and Giles Elgood)
