The UK now requires all travellers to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival
Travellers and residents arriving in the United Kingdom on or after June 8 will be required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
The reasoning behind this ruling is that it can take upwards of 14 days for symptoms of COVID-19 to disappear.
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Travellers must complete a public health passenger locator form 48 hours before arriving and will be required to provide these details when they get to England. Travellers are expected to provide their journey details and contact information and address of where they will be self-isolating.
Individuals don’t need to self-isolate for 14 days if they are travelling to the United Kingdom from within the Common Travel Area, which comprises the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Other exemptions to this measure are outlined on the official government website.
“However, if you arrive in the UK and have been outside the Common Travel Area within the last 14 days, then you will need to self-isolate for the remainder of the 14-day period, starting from when you arrived in the Common Travel Area,” the website explains.
Travellers will also be required to fill out the public health passenger locator form if they are travelling from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man and have been outside the Common Travel Area in the past two weeks.
Specific details surrounding the guidelines for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland can be found online.
“Self-isolating will reduce the chance of a second wave of coronavirus in the UK and help prevent family, friends and the community from contracting coronavirus, as well as helping to protect the NHS,” the site continues.
Once travellers begin self-isolation, they will not be permitted to leave their location unless it is deemed an emergency. Necessities including food and medications will need to be delivered either by a delivery service or by friends and family. Visitors are prohibited, including friends and family or anyone outside of your travel party or those that you are staying with.
Individuals are only permitted to leave their accommodation under the following circumstances:
- They require immediate medical assistance.
- They need access to food or medicine but are unable to arrange for these items to be delivered.
- They require immediate access to public services, including social services and victim support services, but only in “exceptional circumstances.”
- They need to attend the funeral of a close relative.
- They are fulfilling a legal obligation, such as participate in legal proceedings.
- There is an emergency.
“If you’re staying in a hotel or guest house, you must stay away from others who didn’t travel with you, so it’s important that you don’t use shared areas such as bars, restaurants, health clubs and sports facilities,” the government website describes. You must also remain two metres apart from others staying at the same accommodation at all times.
Travellers may be refused entry into the United Kingdom or issued a fine should they not provide their contact information or self-isolation upon their arrival on or after June 8.
According to the government site, in England, if you do not isolate for the required 14 days, you could be fined £1,000 (CAD $1,700). As well, if your public health passenger locator form does not contain accurate contact details, or if you do not update your contact information in the limited instances where you may need to move to another self-isolation location, you could face a fine of up to £3,200 (CAD $5,460).
For the most up-to-date information regarding self-isolation and other travel restrictions surrounding the United Kingdom, visit the government website’s Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19) page.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of June 9, the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the UK is nearing 300,000, with 290,575 known infections.
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