Anyone returning from these 'red list' countries to the UK will soon have to quarantine in a hotel

By Alex Nelson
Published 28th Jan 2021, 10:49 BST
Updated 28th Jan 2021, 10:49 BST
The Government made limited use of quarantine hotels early in the pandemic, such as this Holiday Inn hotel,close to Heathrow Airport which was block-booked by the Department of Health to use as a quarantine zone in March 2020 (Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)The Government made limited use of quarantine hotels early in the pandemic, such as this Holiday Inn hotel,close to Heathrow Airport which was block-booked by the Department of Health to use as a quarantine zone in March 2020 (Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Government made limited use of quarantine hotels early in the pandemic, such as this Holiday Inn hotel,close to Heathrow Airport which was block-booked by the Department of Health to use as a quarantine zone in March 2020 (Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that travellers returning to the UK from “red list” countries will be sent to Government-approved quarantine hotels for 10 days.

Speaking in the Commons this week (27 January), the Prime Minister said passengers will be “met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine”.

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People will also be required to fill in a form explaining why their trip is necessary, with enforcement of the ban on leisure travel stepped up at airports.

Here is everything you need to know.

Why are new rules being introduced?

The rules will apply to UK residents arriving from countries where non-UK residents are already banned from entering the UK, and initially cover countries which are already subject to a travel ban due to concerns over mutant strains.

New restrictions on travel are being introduced in order to reduce the risk of UK nationals and residents returning home from these countries spreading these potentially more infectious variants of Covid-19.

"We will require all such arrivals who cannot be refused entry to isolate in Government-provided accommodation such as hotels for 10 days, without exception,” said Johnson.

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That has not yet been announced when these new rules will come into force, but it is hoped the delay will allow people to return home without an additional hotel stay.

What are the “red list” countries?

The Home Office said the rules will apply to people arriving from countries where non-UK residents are already banned from entering the UK.

These 30 destinations cover all of South America, southern Africa and Portugal.

These are the countries affected by the quarantine hotels policy:

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  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Cape Verde
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Ecuador
  • Eswatini
  • French Guiana
  • Guyana
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
  • Seychelles
  • South Africa
  • Suriname
  • Tanzania
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

When will the list of countries be reviewed?

Senior Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the list of nations from which travellers must quarantine in hotels on arrival in the UK is to be reviewed.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We will be reviewing today (28 January) how extensive that list of countries needs to be and we will be guided by advice from our scientific advisers and we will be reporting back later on where the line will be drawn.”

Will I have to pay for my accommodation?