England Travel Ban: Four Travelers Fined £10,000 for Lying

Four Travelers Were Fined £10,000 Each for Lying About Having Travelled from a Red List Country on 2/15/21, the first day England's mandatory hotel quarantine restrictions went into effect.

The four passengers, who arrived at Birmingham Airport (BHX) didn't declare that they had arrived from a red list country. Chris Todd, the temporary assistant chief constable of West Midlands police, told a meeting held by the force’s strategic policing and crime board that the four had “attempted to hide their routes but that’s not worked out. They were identified and received £10,000 fines as a result.”

Travelers arriving in the UK must complete a passenger locator form. Lying about the countries they have been in can result in up to 10 years in prison.

All travelers arriving in the UK have already been required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test, from a test taken within the three days prior to arrival, to be allowed entry. The only exemptions are for travelers coming from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Ascension, the Falkland Islands, or St Helena, for children 10 and under, and for travelers with a medical condition that makes it impossible to take a test (note from a medical practitioner required).

England's new quarantine rules that went into effect 2/15/21, meant to limit the spread of new COVID-19 variants, require that arriving travelers, with a few exemptions for essential workers and diplomats, who have been in a country deemed a high coronavirus risk in the previous 10 days must book a 10-day quarantine package for a designated UK quarantine hotel, costing £1,750 per adult. Those who are quarantined are subject to COVID-19 tests on day 2 and day 8.

Travelers may depart after 11 nights if the results from the coronavirus tests taken on day two and day eight are negative. Testing positive on the day 2 test extends the stay by two nights at a cost of £304. If the second test returns a positive reading, the traveler must remain in quarantine for an additional eight nights and pay £1,216.

Most travelers are expected to arrive at London Heathrow, but four other airports, London Gatwick, London City, Birmingham and Farnborough in Hampshire (used for private jets) also accept arrivals that are required to quarantine.

The 33 red list countries don't include the U.S., but do include: