MPs will be asked to support new quarantine measures for all international arrivals which will give police the power to carry out spot checks at homes and impose £1,000 fines. The Government is on Friday expected to unveil its long-awaited quarantine plans which will require all arrivals, including returning Britons, to provide an accommodation address where they will self-isolate for 14 days. Border Force, police and Public Health England (PHE) officers will run and enforce the quarantine where travellers will face spot checks at the addresses they submit on forms on arrival at airports or ports. The regulations, which are expected to be introduced under the Health Protection Act, will not come into force before June and could face opposition in Parliament where some Tory MPs are unhappy over the timing of the plans as Britain seeks to ease lockdown to revive the economy. If they got their testing level up, then anyone coming in would be tested and put on the tracking app.” Gallery: How countries are edging out of Covid-19 lockdown (Photo Services) Even as the world continues to battle the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, several countries, where the daily growth of new infections has reduced, are beginning to take tentative steps to ease lockdown measures in order to allow citizens to move freely for the first time in weeks and to revive the economy. Steve Baker, a Conservative MP and former chairman of the European Research Group, told The Telegraph earlier this week: “I am at a loss to understand why they are talking about quarantine now. “We should be taking every possible measure to open up society and the economy and get things going, otherwise the economic and clinical cost is going to be far too high.” “What we have learned about the virus means that we can shield the vulnerable and respect people’s individual choices to behave appropriately so we can open up society as quickly as possible.” The Government is expected to confirm quarantine will be reviewed every three weeks but maintains it is necessary to prevent a second wave of coronavirus from infected passengers as Britain reduces its transmission rate. Border Force and Public Health England officials will be responsible for monitoring arrivals although it is unclear what proof of address will be required. Only countries in the Common Travel area including Ireland, Guernsey and Jersey will be exempt along with the 12,000 freight drivers a day required to bring food, medicines and other vital supplies into the UK. Airlines and travel companies fear a lengthy quarantine will threaten further job losses and delay any revival in the industry.
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