Cecily Zamora
The UK's quarantine laws have changed over time, with the most recent changes occurring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the UK introduced new rules for passengers arriving in the country, requiring them to self-isolate for 14 days and provide contact details and travel information. These rules were implemented through the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, which gave the government the power to legislate in urgent cases. Travellers who failed to comply with the quarantine rules faced fines, prosecution, and potential deportation. The laws applied to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with varying fine amounts in each country.
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What You'll Learn
Travellers arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 14 days
As of June 8, 2020, travellers arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 14 days or risk facing a fine, prosecution, or deportation. This law applies to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as outlined in The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020.
Travellers are required to fill out a form online up to 48 hours before travelling, providing contact information, travel details, and the address where they plan to self-isolate. This form must be completed before arrival, but facilities will be provided at the border for those unable to do so beforehand. Failure to complete the form is considered an offence and can result in a fine.
Public health authorities will contact travellers to establish whether they are self-isolating. If there are concerns about non-compliance, individuals may be reported to the police and could face questions from officials when leaving the country.
Travellers are advised to use private transport to travel from the airport to their accommodation. If public transport is necessary, they should follow guidelines such as wearing face coverings and taking the most direct route.
UK travellers can self-isolate in their own homes or the homes of friends or relatives. They can also stay in hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, or other suitable accommodations. Friends and family do not need to isolate unless they have also travelled. However, they should minimise contact, avoid shared areas, and use separate bathrooms if possible.
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Fines for not filling out the form
As per the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020, travellers to the UK are expected to fill out a form online on gov.uk up to 48 hours in advance of travel, providing contact information, travel details, and an address of where they plan to self-isolate once they arrive in the country. Travellers who have been unable to fill out the form in advance will be given one last opportunity to fill it out as they arrive. Failure to do so will result in an offence and they could be issued with a fine.
In England, you could be fined £100 for not filling out the form, doubling for each offence up to a maximum of £3,200. In the rest of the UK, fines start at £60, reduced to £30 if paid early. Repeat offences rise to a maximum of £480 in Scotland, £960 in Northern Ireland, and £1,920 in Wales.
The legislative scheme is underpinned by criminal law. It is a crime to fail without excuse to comply with any direction, reasonable instruction, restriction, or requirement. All such crimes are punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.
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Quarantine exemptions
The UK's quarantine laws, which came into force in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, require travellers to the country to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival or face fines, prosecution, or even deportation. However, several exemptions to these quarantine rules exist.
Essential workers and people with other necessary business in the UK are exempt from quarantine. This includes road haulage workers, road passenger transport workers, and people driving goods vehicles. Seamen, pilots, inspectors, and ship surveyors travelling for work or being repatriated are also exempt. Air crew, shuttle staff, operational staff, and rail maintenance workers in the UK for work do not need to quarantine.
Crown servants and government contractors required to do essential work within two weeks of arrival are exempt, as are extradition escorts entering the UK to take someone into custody. Medical professionals travelling to aid the coronavirus effort are also exempt from quarantine.
Seasonal agricultural workers are exempt but must self-isolate on the property where they are working. People moving from within the Common Travel Area covering Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man are also exempt from quarantine.
Travellers can quarantine in their own home or someone else's, a hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast, or other suitable accommodation. They can provide multiple addresses if they have a legal or necessary obligation to change addresses.
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Criminal law basis for quarantine
The legislative scheme for quarantine in the UK is underpinned by criminal law. The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, which was signed into law by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, form the basis for the government's powers to enforce quarantine.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 require travellers to the UK to provide contact information, travel details, and an address for self-isolation. Travellers must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival or face fines, prosecution, or deportation. Similar laws are in force across the UK in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The fines for not filling out the required form in England start at £100, doubling for each offence to a maximum of £3,200. In the rest of the UK, fines start at £60, reduced to £30 if paid early, with different maximums for repeat offences in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
The legislative scheme criminalises the following actions:
- Failing without excuse to comply with any direction, reasonable instruction, restriction, or requirement, including those made for children in one's care.
- Absconding or attempting to abscond from a place of lawful detention.
- Knowingly or recklessly providing misleading information.
- Obstructing a person exercising powers under this statute.
These crimes are punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which applies across the UK, allows for emergency regulations to be put in place for up to 30 days to protect human life or treat human illness. These regulations can include prohibiting movement to or from a specified location. The orders may create new criminal offences, punishable by up to 3 months in prison, but they must not amend the Human Rights Act.
Article 5 of the European Convention, which states that "No one shall be deprived of his liberty", is subject to exceptions, including "the lawful detention of persons for the prevention of the spreading of infectious diseases". This provides a legal basis for quarantine measures.
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Powers of ministers to make provisions
The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 is the source of powers for the UK quarantine laws. On February 10, 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care invoked a procedure for legislating in urgent cases to sign into law the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020.
The powers conferred by this section specifically include the power to make provisions for the medical examination, detention, isolation, or quarantine of persons. The following section, 45C, is headed “Health protection regulations: domestic”. It empowers a minister by regulation to make provisions for the purpose of preventing, protecting against, controlling, or providing a public health response to the incidence or spread of infection in England and Wales.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 state that travellers to the country must fill out a form online on gov.uk up to 48 hours in advance of travel, providing contact information, travel details, and the address of where they plan to self-isolate once they arrive in the country. Travellers must also self-isolate for 14 days on arrival or risk being fined, prosecuted, or deported if they do not comply. Failure to fill out the form is considered an offence and may result in a fine.
The legislative scheme is underpinned by criminal law. It is a crime to fail without excuse to comply with any direction, reasonable instruction, restriction, or requirement, including where those requirements are made in respect of children for whom the individual is responsible. It is also a crime to abscond or attempt to abscond from a place at which one is lawfully detained, knowingly or recklessly provide misleading information, or obstruct a person exercising powers under this statute. All such crimes are punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.
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Frequently asked questions
The UK quarantine laws refer specifically to the quarantine laws enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. These laws were enacted to prevent the spread of infection or contamination by means of any vessel, aircraft, train or other conveyance arriving in the UK.
Travellers entering the UK must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival or risk being fined, prosecuted or deported. They must also fill out a form online up to 48 hours in advance of travel, providing contact information, travel details and an address of where they plan to self-isolate.
In England, you could be fined £100 for not filling out the form, doubling for each offence up to a maximum of £3,200. In the rest of the UK, fines start at £60, reduced to £30 if paid early. Repeat offences rise to a maximum of £480 in Scotland, £960 in Northern Ireland and £1,920 in Wales.
Exemptions include road haulage and freight workers, medical professionals travelling to help the coronavirus effort, anyone moving from within the common travel area covering Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and seasonal agricultural workers who will self-isolate on the property where they are working.
Personal details collected under the UK quarantine laws cannot be used for any reason other than in conjunction with these laws. Information provided by passengers cannot be used in criminal proceedings against them unless they relate to breaches of the quarantine regulations.
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