England has started mandatory quarantine for $ 2,400 in hotels for travelers from “red list” countries

Quarantine in hotels allocated by the UK government started this monday for the travelers from countries included in the “red list”, on the same day that the UK embarked on a new phase in the covid-19 vaccination program, with the vaccination of people over 65.

The hotel quarantine has started to apply to British, Irish and British residents who enter England and have stayed in one of the 33 countries that make up the “red list” in the past ten days, which includes all of North America. South, Panama and Portugal.

The aim is to strengthen borders in the face of the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus, such as the South African and the Brazilian, due to fears that vaccines will be less effective with these strains.

Travelers from at-risk countries who arrived at England’s main airports today, including Heathrow and Gatwick, were taken by bus to hotels designated by the government for the mandatory 10-day quarantine.

As part of this program, passengers will have to bear the costs, set at 1750 pounds (2000 euros, $ 2400) per person, while there are 16 affected hotels, with 4,962 rooms, according to the Ministry of Health.

Affected They will not be able to leave their rooms and there will be surveillance to ensure that they comply with the measures. Those who refuse quarantine in hotels can face a fine of up to 10,000 pounds (11,300 euros). And lying on the arrival form while concealing having been in a “red list” country is punishable by a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Economic issues for travelers

“It can’t be easy for them to be locked in a room for 10 days, without going anywhere, so we do checks, we make sure they’re okay,” says Charlie Islam-Harry, director of St. Giles Hotel, next to London Heathrow Airport, which hopes to be part of the program.

Upon receipt, a thermal imager senses whether the newcomer has a fever, there is hand sanitizer next to the elevators, and a special cleaning protocol is performed.

But “at a time when we are all short of work,” the cost is unaffordable for many like Colombian Mariana Aristizábal, who paid £ 500 for a return trip to see her family in December, and had to re-enter the days to come. “Considering the costs of the new quarantine, it’s absolutely impossible,” says the 30-year-old actress and director who has lived in London for five years. “It’s frustrating,” he added.

Also for Santiago Peluffo, in a similar situation in Buenos Aires. “I can’t pay £ 1,750 for a hotel when I have my own home in London,” says the 35-year-old Argentine writer, living in the UK since 2012. He indignantly questions, “the reason for which the ban applies to the whole continent ”while countries like Argentina have fewer and fewer cases. And he denounces “discrimination”, geographic and economic.

Progress of measures

These rules correspond to England, but the government has indicated that it is working with autonomous authorities in other regions to apply similar rules.

Health Minister Matt Hancock told the station on Monday Radio Times that this system has started “gently” since its entry into force this morning at 4 GMT. “With the appearance of new variants, it is necessary to go further (in measures). Rules that come into effect today will strengthen the quarantine system and provide another level of border security against new strains“He added.

Also from this Monday, the UK is requesting two more covid-19 tests, which are already required of all people before starting the trip to this country, where, in addition, they are required to comply with a quarantine 10 days, to their homes or where they are staying.

This is the first test on the second day of your ten days in quarantine and the second on the eighth day. Those who quarantine in hotels should also pass these two tests.

Vaccination continues

These measures are being applied as the vaccination program progresses in the UK, where more than 15 million people have received the first of two doses covid-19 vaccine, either from Pfizer / BioNTech or from Oxford / AstraZeneca.

From this Monday, This program has entered a new phase by starting with the vaccination of the over 65s, after the four most vulnerable groups have received the first dose.

Experts and health authorities have set up a first phase made up of nine groups, considered the most vulnerable to COVID-19, and he hopes that everyone in this phase – over 50 – will have received at least the first injection. by the end of next April.

According to the latest data, another 258 people died on Sunday, the day 10,972 new positive coronavirus cases were recorded.

Evaluate the impact of the campaign

The Minister of Health admitted in the chain Sky News that there is still no data available to know the impact of the immunization program on reducing serious illnesses and deaths.

In the first four groups of phase one are those over 70, the elderly who live in nursing homes, the health workers who care for them, and anyone with a health problem. which makes them vulnerable to covid.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters today during a visit to a vaccination center in south-east London that scientists are monitoring the outbreak to unfold before the current restrictions can be lifted.

The cases “are still very high, there are still 23,000 patients with covid in (hospitals) Health, more than the peak in April last year. It is sad that many people are still dying from this disease, ”Johnson added, stressing the need to be“ careful ”before relaxing restrictions.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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