(CNN) – British people arriving home from high-risk 22 countries will have to undergo a ten-day hotel quarantine at their own expense, as the UK tightens border controls around one of the world’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks to try to combat.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the stricter new rules will apply to travelers from ‘red list countries where we are particularly concerned about new variants.’
Non-UK residents will be denied entry, while UK citizens and permanent residents will be picked up directly from the airport and transferred to government accommodation where they will begin their compulsory stay.
Meals and hotel expenses in one of the most expensive cities in the world can cost travelers more than $ 2000 for a ten-day quarantine.
The announcement comes a day after the United Kingdom reached the grim milestone of 100,000 coronavirus deaths yesterday – the first country in Europe to do so.
Johnson also said travelers will be interviewed about their travel destination. ‘I want to make it clear that under the stay-at-home regulations it is illegal to leave home to travel abroad for leisure purposes, and we will apply this to ports and airports by asking people why they are leaving and instructing them to return. return home if they do not have a valid reason to travel, ‘he said.
The British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, later announced that people wishing to travel from the UK must first make a statement proving that their trip is essential.
It comes on top of January 18’s announcement that all travelers entering the UK, including British citizens, must present a negative Covid test within 72 hours of arrival. Prior to that date, the boundaries were open with no test requirements.
The full list of 22 ‘red list’ countries has yet to be announced, but it will include South Africa, Portugal and South American countries.
The new policy could take weeks before the new accommodation is ready. Said Johnson, “The Department of Health and Social Care is working to establish these facilities as quickly as possible.”
The policy was criticized by Nick Thomas-Symonds, a senior lawmaker from the Labor opposition party, who said the announcement was “too little too late” and called for a comprehensive hotel quarantine.
Thomas-Symonds also called on the government to announce a sector support package for aviation.
Heathrow Airport, the largest airport in the UK, said it fully supported all measures to protect public health, but called for more fiscal assistance.
“Aviation will play a key role in realizing the government’s ambitions for global Britain, the increase and a green recovery, but only if it continues – now we need 100% business rate relief, an extension of the system and a roadmap to reopening the borders safely, “Heathrow said in a statement to CNN.
Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), responded in a statement to the latest proposal from the British government.
“We firmly believe that tests on departure and arrival for all travelers are the only way to stop the spread of the virus in its tracks, while negative test passengers can still remain safe and restore international mobility,” she said.
“The government needs to be transparent about the criteria used to label a country as ‘high risk,'” she added. “It is also important that we have a clear exit strategy and more details on testing it at arrival policy.”
CNN’s Will Godley contributed to this report.