UK To Exempt Arrivals From France From Quarantine

British Airways aircraft taxi on to the runway at Heathrow Airport in west London, Britain, 22 March 2010. New runways at Heathrow and Gatwick are among the options that have been short-listed by the Airports Commission for expanding UK airport capacity, it was reported 17 December 2013. The three short-listed options include adding a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow, and a new runway at Gatwick. epa03994008 (FILES) File picture dated 22 March 2010 of EPA/ANDY RAIN

On Sunday, British prime minister Boris Johnson announced that the country will soon begin to enforce a 14-day quarantine on travelers entering the UK as part of an effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic. As the BBC reports, this quarantine would apply to all passengers entering the country, including British citizens, by air, train and ferry.

However, the outlet reports that new arrivals from some countries, including those from the Republic of Ireland and France, will not be subject to these quarantine restrictions. Following a national address by Johnson on Sunday evening, the British government made a statement regarding its decision not to impose quarantine measures on those coming from France.

Bi-Lateral Cooperation Needed To Fight Covid-19

Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron had spoken and, it explained, “…stressed the need for close bilateral, European and international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19,” adding that the pair were working together to mitigate any new imported cases amid decreasing domestic infections in both countries.

“In this regard, the Prime Minister and the President agreed to work together in taking forward appropriate border measures. This cooperation is particularly necessary for the management of our common border,” the statement continued.

Because of this, it added that, “No quarantine measures would apply to travelers coming from France at this stage; any measures on either side would be taken in a concerted and reciprocal manner. A working group between the two governments will be set up to ensure this consultation throughout the coming weeks.”

Why Quarantine Now?

No date has been given for exactly when these quarantine measures will be enforced and British authorities have said that they will offer further guidance at the appropriate time.

However, the UK government has issued guidance as to why it is now preparing to put quarantine restrictions into place.

“The scientific advice shows that when domestic transmission is high, cases from abroad represent a small amount of the overall total and make no significant difference to the epidemic. Now that domestic transmission within the UK is coming under control, and other countries begin to lift lockdown measures, it is the right time to prepare new measures at the border,” it says.

“We will be asking people traveling to the UK to make some sacrifices to stop coronavirus cases from being imported…So what we will be asking people to do on entering the UK is supply their contact details and details of their accommodation, and to self-isolate in their accommodation for 14 days, other than those on a shortlist of exemptions,” the government explains, adding that additional information will shortly be made public.