LONDON (AP) – Britain’s newly established quarantine hotels received their first guests on Monday when the government tried to stop new variants of the coronavirus from derailing its rapid vaccination campaign.
Passengers arriving at London Heathrow Airport on Monday morning were escorted by security guards to buses that took them to nearby hotels.
Britain has given a first dose of coronavirus vaccine to almost a quarter of the population, but health officials are concerned that vaccines may not work as well on some new strains of the virus, including one first introduced in South Africa has been identified.
A coach delivers passengers to the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, near Heathrow Airport, London, on Monday 15 February 2021, where they will stay for a quarantine period of ten days after returning to England from one of the 33 “red list” -countries. New regulations now in force require everyone who was in a ‘high-risk’ location to enter England within a designated port and book a package in advance to stay at one of the government’s managed quarantine facilities. (Steve Parsons / PA via AP)
Under the new rules, people arriving from 33 high-risk countries in England must stay in designated hotels for 10 days at their own expense, with meals on the doorstep. In Scotland, the rule applies to arriving countries. International travel has already been sharply curtailed by the pandemic, and Britons are currently unable to go on holiday overseas.
According to critics, the quarantine hotels are being set up too late, with the South African variant already spreading in the UK
On Sunday, the government achieved its goal of giving the first of two doses of vaccine to 15 million of Britain’s most vulnerable people, including health workers and those over 70.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a vaccination center in London on Monday and praised the “incredible effort” of scientists, medics, pharmacists, members of the military and volunteers who have achieved Europe’s fastest vaccination.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the vaccine is now being extended to people over 65 and those with underlying health conditions. The government aims to give everyone over 50 the first vaccine by the end of April, and the entire adult population by September.
Britain had the worst outbreak of coronavirus in Europe, with more than 117,000 deaths. Infections and deaths are now gradually declining, and the government says it will announce a “road map” on February 22 to facilitate nationwide closure.
A coach delivers passengers to the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, near Heathrow Airport, London, on Monday 15 February 2021, where they will stay for a quarantine period of ten days after returning to England from one of the 33 “red list” -countries. New regulations now in force require anyone in a ‘high-risk’ location to enter England through a designated port and book a package in advance to stay at one of the government’s managed quarantine facilities. (Steve Parsons / PA via AP)
Johnson is under pressure from some members of his ruling Conservative party to lift the closure soon so businesses can reopen and people can visit friends and family.
The prime minister, who is accused of being too slow to close Britain this past spring, then too quick to ease restrictions in the summer, is now hitting a more measured tone.
“We have to be very sensible,” he said, adding that the steps announced next week would be “careful but irreversible”.
Epidemiologist Neil Ferguson, who advises the government on respiratory viruses, said officials should be rightly cautious.
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“The thing we do not want to repeat is what has happened on previous occasions – namely, relax too quickly,” he told Good Morning Britain.