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UK immigration officials still not briefed about hotel quarantine: Reports

WION Web Team
London, United KingdomUpdated: Feb 13, 2021, 11:40 AM IST
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People wait with their luggage at a rebooking zone at Heathrow Terminal 5 Photograph:(Reuters)

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The new guidelines have also raised concerns as the travellers fear mixing with people coming from the 'red list' countries

With almost 48 hours left before the UK imposes the compulsory hotel quarantine for all incoming travellers, the immigration officials are yet to be briefed, as per local media reports.

It has been reported that the immigration officers have not been informed about this decision at all, till now. While they have read and heard about it in the newspapers and channels, they have not received official communication.

"They've had no information at all," said Lucy Moreton, the general secretary of the ISU. "They can watch the media, read statements from ministers, but that’s pretty much it."

This has come as a shock as the country has announced that from Monday, travellers arriving from 33 countries named in the "red list" will be forced to spend at least 10 days in hotel quarantine, but at their own expense.

These 33 countries are the ones where the spread of new variants, which are vaccine resistant, is more and the cases have been increasing.

Travellers have also complained that they have been unable to book a hotel room for their compulsory quarantine as the official booking portal faced a "minor technical issue".

"It is Friday afternoon and I understand Border Force still haven’t been given the operational guidance on how the hotel quarantine system will work from Monday. This isn’t good enough," said Yvette Cooper, Labour MP, chair of Commons home affairs committee.

"We urgently need to know what arrangements have been made to ensure that those from high-risk countries about to go to hotels aren’t queueing with people about to get on the tube or train home."

The new guidelines have also raised concerns as the travellers fear mixing with people coming from the 'red list' countries.

In addition to this, experts have also warned against letting the quarantined travellers come out once a day for exercise.