Nigerians and other citizens arriving in England and found to have lied about a recent visit to a country on the British government’s travel ban list will face up to 10 years in prison under new tough coronavirus border policies announced Tuesday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that from Monday, residents of the U.K. and Ireland arriving in England from the places on the government’s “red list” will have to purchase a “quarantine package” that costs 1,750 pounds ($2,400) per person and covers accommodation, virus testing and other items.
Individuals not abiding by the rules, including those arriving from a red list country without a hotel booked, also could be subject to a series of fines, he said.
“I make no apologies for the strength of these measures because we’re dealing with one of the strongest threats to our public health that we’ve faced as a nation,” Hancock told lawmakers. “People who flout these rules are putting us all at risk.”
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Asked about harsh penalties attached to the new measures, Shapps told BBC Breakfast those who are fined as much as £10,000 would have to “go out of their way to lie and cheat” the new system.
Shapps said the maximum jail term of up to 10 years attached to falsely declaring information on a passenger locator form reflected the “serious” nature of the offence.
“I think the British public would expect pretty strong action,” he said.
Around 1,300 people a week are arriving into the UK from the 33 red list countries – including Portugal, Brazil and South Africa – at the moment, Shapps said.
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