Hancock says people subject to hotel quarantine will have to pay £1,750
Hancock says the strategy to tackle new variants has four parts.
First, the government wants to get overall case numbers down.
Second, surge testing is being used to tackle new outbreaks.
Third, vaccines are being rolled out.
And, fourth, border controls are being tightened.
Hancock says he will focus on the border controls.
It is already illegal to travel abroad without a reason, he says.
People arriving already need a negative test before they start their journey. And arrivals have been banned for people coming from “red list” countries where the risk is particularly high.
But the government is going further from Monday 15 February, he says. He says these rules are for England, but he says the devolved administrations are bringing in their own plans.
There are three features to the new system: hotel quarantine, testing and enforcement.
People who need hotel quarantine will need to pay £1,750 per individual for the hotel, transport and testing.
He says arrivals will be taken to a designated hotel. The government has contracted with 16 hotels, for 4,600 rooms initially.
They will have to stay in their rooms and will not be allowed to mix with other guests. They will have to quarantine for 10 days, or longer if they test positive.
And there will be “visible security” in place to ensure people comply, he says.
news.sky.com
