LONDON (Reuters) – Travellers arriving in England and Scotland from Turkey and Poland will have to self-isolate for 14 days from early on Saturday, officials said as they expanded their COVID-19 quarantine lists.
Data from Poland showed a rising rate of positive tests alongside a rapid increase in cases while Turkey has been defining the number of new COVID-19 cases in a different way to international organisations, British transport minister Grant Shapps said on Thursday.
The Caribbean islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba were also added to the coronavirus quarantine lists of England and Scotland.
“You MUST self-isolate if you enter the UK from a non-exempt country – from tomorrow, we’re increasing the penalties for people who refuse to do so to a maximum of 10,000 pounds for repeat offenders,” Shapps said on Twitter.
Travellers arriving in England and Scotland after 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Oct. 3 from the countries added to the quarantine list on Thursday will be required to self-isolate.
England, Scotland and the other countries in the United Kingdom have their own powers over health policy.
(Reporting by William James; Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Stephen Addison and Kirsten Donovan)
