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15-01-2021, 06:31 PM
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Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55681861

The UK is to close all travel corridors from Monday to "protect against the risk of as yet unidentified new Covid strains", the prime minister has said.

Anyone flying into the country from overseas will have to show proof of a negative Covid test before setting off.

It comes as a ban on travellers from South America and Portugal came into force on Friday over concerns about a new variant identified in Brazil.

Boris Johnson said the new rules would be in place until at least 15 February.

Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he said: "It's vital to take these extra measures now when day-by-day we are making such strides in protecting the population."

People coming to the UK will need to quarantine for up to 10 days, unless they test negative after five days, in line with the current policy.

The prime minister added that the government would be stepping up enforcement at the border.

Travel corridors were introduced in the summer to allow people travelling from some countries with low numbers of Covid cases to come to the UK without having to quarantine on arrival.
Better (too) late than never .....
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15-01-2021, 06:46 PM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Should have been done back in March IMO.
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15-01-2021, 06:55 PM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Originally Posted by Roxy ->
Should have been done back in March IMO.
IMO, too .....
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15-01-2021, 08:11 PM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Closing international travel to and from the UK was talked about last year when the first lock down ended. I remember reading it on the BBC website. Some obscure MP suggested that the government should close UK borders to international travel to prevent people from bringing the virus into the country but guess what happened..... I can't remember which one of the two said it, the chief medical officer or the chief science officer but one of them said there was no point in closing the borders to international travellers to prevent the spread of the virus because the virus was already rampant throughout the UK thus what was the point of preventing something that has already happened. So what does Boris do, listens to that advice and keeps the borders open.
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15-01-2021, 08:11 PM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Originally Posted by Roxy ->
Should have been done back in March IMO.
Originally Posted by Omah ->
IMO, too .....
I agree.
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16-01-2021, 11:42 AM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Why didn't the UK shut its borders before it had any cases?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-55659926

Between January and March 2020, the UK introduced some measures to try to protect itself from the new virus.

Travellers from "high-risk countries" including China, Iran and Northern Italy were asked to voluntarily isolate for 14 days.

These self-isolation requirements were withdrawn on 13 March, 10 days before the UK went into lockdown.
The 10-day gap in restrictions led to thousands of UK infections through cases arriving from Europe.

A recent study found that the virus was introduced to the UK "well over a thousand times in early 2020" with 33% of transmission chains brought in from Spain, followed by 29% from France, neither of which faced any kind of restrictions. China accounted for just 0.4% of imported cases.
What were the government's reasons?

The Home Office said keeping borders open helped businesses to maintain international connections, boosted the economy and meant people could still travel for essential reasons. It argued that any extra travel restrictions at that time would have had a "very marginal" impact.

At a meeting in early February , the government advisers Sage suggested that cutting the number of infections entering the UK by half would only delay the epidemic by five days.
Currently:

The UK currently has a number of travel restrictions in place. Travel is only permitted for essential reasons and most people entering the UK must quarantine for 10 days, or fewer if they test negative after five days.

An Office for National Statistics pilot survey in October suggested that only 66% of arrivals to the UK were definitely following self-isolation rules.
The government's response to the international transmission of COVID-10 has been pathetic at worst and hal-hearted at best ....
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17-01-2021, 01:16 PM
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Re: Covid: UK to close all travel corridors from Monday

Too little too late, remember when travellers were coming into UK last year, not being tested they were just given a sheet of paper with symptoms of the virus and sent on their way .government said it was pointless testing them...no quarantine either...and look at us now
 

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