TRAVELLERS returning from France from today must quarantine for 14 days when they arrive in the UK.
France was the latest country to be removed from the Government’s safe list and here is everything you need to know about the quarantine rules.
Brit holidaymakers will have to quarantine when they return to the UK from 4am on August 15.
Frantic holidaymakers attempted to return home before the travel restrictions were enforced, after only being announced on Thursday.
Half a million Brits were thought to be stuck in France with another 500,000 with holidays booked – and airlines and tour operators have been slammed for hiking prices.
The Sun found a flight from the French city of Nantes to Edinburgh at 10.15pm on Friday cost almost £250.
Exactly the same flight next Friday, August 21, costs £21.64 – an increase of 1,037 per cent or £224.50 more.
Boris Johnson said yesterday he had to be “absolutely ruthless” over imposing the travel rules, “even with our closest and dearest friends and partners”.
They were introduced after a spike in coronavirus cases in the France, which has the third-highest death toll in Europe, behind the UK and Italy.
Arrivals will need to fill in their contact details when they land, before self-isolating for two weeks.
Since June 8, the guidelines have required anyone entering the UK from a non-corridor country to quarantine for 14 days.
Those rules continue to apply – both to Brits returning to the country and tourists arriving from abroad.
UK travellers who have their own house in the UK will be allowed to quarantine there, but must not leave for the two-week duration.
Anyone caught breaking the rules will face fines up to £1,000.
Police are conducting checks to ensure people are not leaving their residence for the isolation period.
Magistrates also have the power to prosecute or to issue unlimited fines for persistent breaches of the new rules, or for refusal to pay a fine that has already been issued.
The quarantine is being run and enforced by Border Force, cops, and Public Health England officials.
A number of professions are excluded from the French quarantine restrictions, although this only includes essential travel – you still can’t go on holiday.
This includes:
We’ve explained what to do if you have a holiday booking for France.
If your flight is still going ahead, and your hotel remains open, your first step should be to speak to each individual operator, but you may not be able to claim a refund if the booking isn’t cancelled.
If you have a package holiday, it is crucial to wait for the tour operator to cancel your trip – if you cancel the trip yourself, you won’t be entitled to a refund.
