U.K. to Require In-Hotel Quarantine for Visitors from 22 Countries

The Stafford Hotel in London

The United Kingdom said Wednesday that arriving travelers from 22 countries will be required to quarantine in government-provided hotels “without exception.”

“I want to make clear that under the stay at home regulations, it is illegal to leave home to travel abroad for leisure purposes and we will enforce this at ports and airports by asking people why they are leaving and instructing them to return home if they do not have a valid reason to travel,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Commons.

The move follows the examples of Australia and New Zealand, which have had mandatory quarantines since the early weeks of the pandemic and have largely eliminated transmission of the virus within their borders.

The government has yet to release a list of the specific countries that are covered by the quarantine measure or say when it will go into effect.  Travelers will be responsible for hotel and dining costs during the quarantine period.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)