Travellers could now be imprisoned or fined £10,000 for failing to follow these Coronavirus quarantine rules

The rules on quarantining after entering England from abroad have changed – and you could now be imprisoned for failing to follow them.
By Sam Ward
Published 16th Feb 2021, 14:29 BST
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Travellers arriving in the UK from 33 ‘red list’ countries, including Portugal, South Africa and Argentina, are now having to quarantine in hotels.

The official Government website states that from yesterday, February 15, everyone allowed to enter England who has visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK is banned in the last 10 days must: quarantine for 10 days in a managed quarantine hotel and take a coronavirus test on or before day two and on or after day eight of quarantining.

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People who are coming to England and have visited one of the 33 ‘high risk’ countries now have to pay £1,750 to stay in the hotel for 10 days – but that could be only the start of the fees.

Passengers travelling from one of the countries on the "red list" are escorted through the arrivals area of terminal 5 of Heathrow airport (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Passengers travelling from one of the countries on the "red list" are escorted through the arrivals area of terminal 5 of Heathrow airport (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Passengers travelling from one of the countries on the "red list" are escorted through the arrivals area of terminal 5 of Heathrow airport (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

What can you be fined for and what are the charges?

Gov.uk states that “providing false or deliberately misleading information when filling out your passenger locator form is an offence punishable by imprisonment.”

Those arriving from ‘red list’ countries’ could also be fined up to £10,000, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both, if they do not ‘provide accurate details’ about countries visited in the 10 days before arriving at the hotel.

Breaking quarantine rules could also see travellers face a penalty of up to £10,000.

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People in quarantine can only leave their room for very specific reasons, including attending court or for exceptional circumstances, and are not allowed visitors.

If they do not take, or refuse to take, the mandatory Coronavirus tests quarantining individuals may also face a penalty of up to £2,000.

Travellers could now also additional bill of up to £1,200 if they test positive for coronavirus during their stay as there is an excess fee of £152-a-day for testing positive.

£152 is also the additional day rate for more than 10 days of quarantine for one adult in one room.

Individuals may quarantine upon arrival from one of the 33 countries in the group travelled with, and it is an additional £41 per adult after the ten days.