Britain to bring in COVID hotel quarantine from February 15 – health minister

Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock gestures during an update on the COVID-19 pandemic at a virtual news conference at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain February 8, 2021. Tolga Akmen/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said it would bring in tighter border controls from Monday Feb. 15 to help guard the country against new variants of COVID-19, requiring hotel quarantine in England for those arriving from the most high risk countries.

“We’re setting up a new system of hotel quarantine for UK and Irish residents who have been in red list countries in the last ten days,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Tuesday.

Arrivals will have to quarantine in assigned hotels which they will book before departure and pay 1,750 pounds per traveller. Security would be present at the hotels. More details will be published on Thursday, added Hancock.

The government said it had contracted 16 hotels for an initial 4,600 rooms and it would secure more as they are needed.