UK: Effective 15 February, arrivals into the UK from a list of 33 countries will fall subject to new Covid-19 rules, meaning they will need to quarantine in government-supervised hotels for 10 days.
The hotel quarantine plan is being introduced in an effort to control the spread of the new Covid-19 variants that were first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
It will affect UK residents and Irish nationals travelling from 33 “red list” countries, mainly in South America, Southern Africa, the UAE and Portugal.
Ministers expect more than 1000 UK residents returning from abroad per day. They will be required to pay an estimated £1,500 or more to stay in a hotel room for 10 days, according to The Independent. Further details will be released next week regarding costs and booking process.
The government is working “at pace” to secure the necessary rooms.
A spokesperson from OYO said: “OYO Hotels is ready to work with the government to provide accommodation in line with the new protocols. With over 250 hotels across the UK, we are well placed to provide convenient, affordable, sanitised accommodation for these purposes.
“Throughout the pandemic OYO has worked closely with our hotel partners to keep properties open for those requiring accommodation. Through our ‘Here To Help’ campaign, we have been committed to supporting key workers and communities and have provided over 200,000 room nights for essential workers and public sector partners. We are proud to have maintained overall occupancy levels above the industry average over the past year. We look forward to continuing to provide interim accommodation for those who need it over the challenging weeks ahead and hope to work with the government to meet this need.”
Quarantined travellers are to be served three meals a day in their rooms. According to documents seen by the BBC, security guards will patrol the premises to monitor access and escort those outside in need of fresh air.
The scheme is to be in place until at least March 31.
