UK finally shuts all travel corridors from every country on the planet
The news comes amid fears over new strains of coronavirus.
Every single UK travel corridor will be closed from 4am on Monday, Boris Johnson has announced.
Travellers from all countries must offer proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours before departing for the UK.
International arrivals must then quarantine for 10 days, although they have the choice of doing an extra test on day five to shorten the isolation period.
The Prime Minister has warned enforcement of the rules will be ‘stepped up’ at the border and inside the country.
The decision comes after a number of new strains were detected in the UK – including one that started in Brazil and another that was found in South Africa.
The entire continent of South America, as well as Portugal, was slapped with a travel ban yesterday amid fears over a ‘concerning’ Brazilian variant.
Mr Johnson told a Downing Street press conference on Friday: ‘It’s precisely because we have the hope of that vaccine and the risk of new strains coming from overseas that we must take additional steps now to stop those strains from entering the country.
‘Yesterday we announced that we’re banning flights from South America and Portugal and to protect us against the risk from as-yet-unidentified strains we will also temporarily close all travel corridors from 0400 on Monday.
‘Following conversations with the devolved administrations we will act together so this applies across the whole of the UK.’
Asked why the border controls were only being introduced now, the Prime Minister replied: ‘At this crucial stage what we can’t have is new variants with unknown qualities coming in from abroad and that’s why we’ve set up the system to stop arrivals from places where there are new variants of concern and set up the extra tough measures that I’ve outlined.’
Almost 45% of the over-80s and almost 40% of care home residents have now been vaccinated, Mr Johnson said today.
However, it is ‘not the time for relaxation’ as complacency will have ‘fatal’ consequences, he warned.
Government scientists have predicted the second wave of the pandemic will be double the size of the first.
There are now more than 37,000 Covid patients in hospital amid the third national lockdown.
Professor Chris Whitty said the peak of people entering hospital will be in the next week to 10 days for most places.
England’s chief medical officer said ‘we hope’ the peak of infections ‘already has happened’ in the south-east, east and London where there was a surge in the Kent variant – but it will be later elsewhere.
He said: ‘The peak of deaths I fear is in the future, the peak of hospitalisations in some parts of the country may be around about now and beginning to come off the very, very top.
‘Because people are sticking so well to the guidelines we do think the peaks are coming over the next week to 10 days for most places in terms of new people into hospital.’
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