Key questions answered on quarantine hotels
Quarantine hotels will be opened later this month in a bid to slow the spread of new coronavirus strains.
Here the PA news agency answers 10 key questions about the policy.
– Who will be affected?
UK nationals or residents returning from any of the Government’s “red list” countries will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 10 nights.
– What about non-UK nationals or residents travelling from those destinations?
They are banned from entering the UK.
– When does the new rule come into force?
Quarantine hotels will open on February 15.
– How many hotel rooms will be needed?
Officials are working to secure 28,000 rooms, according to the Daily Telegraph.
– Where will the hotels be located?
The hotels will reportedly be near airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
– How much will travellers have to pay?
An industry source told the BBC that travellers could be charged around £80 a night.
– Will people be allowed to leave their room?
That has not yet been confirmed, but security staff will be deployed to ensure rules are followed.
From 15 February, anyone travelling to the UK from a country on the UK’s travel ban list will be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility for a period of 10 days.
More details 👇🏼https://t.co/tmzYBMtquM
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) February 5, 2021
– What about food and drink?
Travellers will be served three meals a day in their rooms.
– Will rooms be cleaned?
Guests will need to clean their own rooms.
– Will travellers be tested for coronavirus?
Coronavirus tests will reportedly be carried out on the second and eighth day of their stay.
A negative result will be required before they are released.