The UK authorities are planning to introduce targeted ten-day quarantine for travelers from countries the novel coronavirus is spread the most, Report informs citing British media.
According to the plan, those arriving from such countries will have to observe quarantine in designated hotels.
Among the nations that the UK intends to classify as high-risk countries, the Daily Mail names Brazil and South Africa. More infectious strains of the coronavirus were previously identified there.
The authorities also plan to tighten control over tourists ordered to self-isolate. Now on-site inspections are carried out only if a person who has to comply with quarantine does not answer the inspectors' call three times, or his response arouses suspicion. The decision to introduce these measures is expected to be taken on January 25, the Daily Mail reported.
According to Johns Hopkins University, over 3.6 million cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed in the UK since the beginning of the pandemic, and the country is the fifth most infected country in the world. The virus has claimed almost 98,000 lives in the kingdom.
Since January 18, all arrivals in the UK must self-isolate for ten days and provide a certificate with a negative COVID test result. Now the country is going through the third lockdown amid the pandemic. Schools have switched to distance learning, and citizens are allowed to leave home only to work, buy food and essentials, receive medical care or exercise.
In mid-December, a coronavirus mutation was discovered in the UK, which, according to authorities, could be 80% more infectious than the previous one.