UK quarantine for travelers arriving from Czech Republic begins tomorrow
Beginning at 4 AM British time tomorrow, 29 August, Great Britain will introduce quarantine measures for travelers from the Czech Republic; this means that after arriving in the United Kingdom from the Czech Republic, all travelers will have to immediately undergo a 14-day quarantine. All travelers, with some exceptions, must also complete a so-called contact form ahead of their journey to the United Kingdom.
The British Government’s information about the quarantine measures is officially online HERE. The detailed rules for crossing the borders of Britain are available HERE.
Before arriving on the territory of the United Kingdom, each traveler must fill out both the contact form and a travel itinerary (at the earliest, 48 hours before arrival, at the latest immediately prior to border control) so the relevant authorities can contact the relevant person in case contact with others who have been infected is later discovered. The Czech Embassy in London has published the details about undergoing quarantine upon arrival as follows:
People in quarantine must avoid visiting workplaces, schools, and other public places and must not use public transportation or taxis. Visits to friends and family members should happen just in cases of absolute necessity.
It is necessary to count on local authorities performing random checks to see that foreign nationals are following quarantine rules. More information about the preventive measures and one’s responsiblities in assocation with the coronavirus measures will be available upon entry to the United Kingdom at border crossings and airports.
The penalty for not completing a contact form is GBP 100 and the penalty for breaking quarantine is GBP 1000. That fine can be even higher and will depend on how great the risk is of the person transmitting infection from abroad; criminal prosecution and/or deportation for non-compliance cannot be ruled out.
The 14-day quarantine can be interrupted temporarily just when traveling to the location from which the traveler will leave the United Kingdom (i.e., it is possible to leave the country from a different airport than the one used to arrive. If the departure flight leaves on a different day than the arrival, the traveler must be isolated until the time of departure).
If travelers do not have appropriate accommodations (which are considered “e.g., a hotel, or staying with friends”), they will have to pay to use facilities provided by the Government. For their transportation from an airport to the location of quarantine, travelers will have to use individual personal vehicles (cars), not public transportation, “to the maximum possible extent.”
After completing quarantine in the UK, it will be necessary to continue to follow the Government regulations on the mandatory observance of physical distance from other people. The necessity of quarantine and its terms will be reviewed on the basis of statistical developments confirming the number of cases of infected persons in the Czech Republic.
