UK: Just as air travel is picking up, UK imposes a quarantine

When the coronavirus was spreading at breakneck speed this spring, Britain’s government flatly refused to quarantine travellers, even those arriving from virus hot spots like Spain or Iran. On Monday, as most Western European countries and the US were easing restrictions, the government introduced a plan requiring everyone entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days. PM Boris Johnson’s belated change of heart over quarantines has enraged airlines, frustrated travellers and upset lawmakers fearful of the economic damage. Experts doubt that the quarantine measures can be enforced, and question why a nation with one of Europe’s worst infection rates should try now to deter international travel. Under the new quarantine rules, people entering Britain by plane, train or ferry must fill out a form giving an address where they will self-isolate for two weeks, with fines of up to GBP1,000 for breaches. “Scientists say the quarantine has come too late, the police say it’s unenforceable, the tourism and aviation industry say it will ruin them,” said Conor McGinn, who speaks for the opposition Labour Party on home affairs issues. <br/>