UK Police to Trace Thousands of ‘Quarantine Flouters’

A police spokesman has said thousands of travellers are to be investigated for ‘breaking quarantine’ after returning from their holidays.

Police forces across Britain have started to trace thousands of people who they think may have potentially refused to self-isolate after returning to the country. Those coming home from destinations deemed ‘unsafe’ by law are required to quarantine for 14 days. Many travellers were left confused this week when England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland took different stances on adding Greece or Portugal to their respective ‘red-lists’.

A request for “further action” was applied for by Border Force officials and public health authorities, who have been tasked with ensuring that people returning from abroad are abiding by regulations specifically designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Scientists have warned that the UK is fast approaching a pivotal moment in the crisis. With another surge in the number of positive cases reported on Friday, they urged people to keep following the rules or risk the return of widespread lockdowns across the UK. “We are at a point where there’s a risk that wider transmission of COVID could increase again,” said Catherine Noakes, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Leeds and a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

Police will be more alert as holidaymakers returning from Portugal to Scotland and Wales must quarantine from today. Travellers from Portugal arriving in Wales and Scotland must now spend a fortnight in isolation. The rules came into force this morning at 4 am, but do not apply to England and Northern Ireland. The Border Force can issue FPNs of between €112 (£100) and €1,200 (£1,000) to those who break government rules around the completion of passenger locator forms.

What are traveller’s quarantine measures when entering the UK?

Up to 30 teenagers in Plymouth were thought to be infected with coronavirus after returning from a holiday in Greece last week. Plymouth’s public health team is dealing with a coronavirus outbreak that could involve up to 30 young people who returned from the Greek island Zante last week. Health officials are in an urgent rush to try and contact everyone involved.