UK Likely to Amend 14-Day Self-Quarantine for Arrivals

[Asia Economy Reporter Sung Ki-ho] The UK government has decided to review the mandatory self-quarantine measures for incoming travelers to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to local media on the 2nd (local time), the UK will mandate a 14-day self-quarantine for those entering the country by airplane, ship, train, and other means starting from the 8th. Incoming travelers must provide their contact information along with the location of their self-quarantine, and foreigners who do not comply with the regulations may be denied entry.

Additionally, on-site inspections will be conducted to ensure that incoming travelers are properly adhering to the self-quarantine requirements, and violators will be fined ?1,000 (approximately 1.53 million KRW).

However, ahead of the implementation of these measures, there is growing opinion within the government that they should be revised.

First, there are concerns that it will be difficult to properly enforce the mandatory self-quarantine measures or that they will not be effective in preventing the virus.

There are also worries about the negative impact on the economy. Executives from over 200 tourism and aviation companies in the UK claim that the government's mandatory self-quarantine measures could damage the tourism industry worth ?200 billion (approximately 307 trillion KRW) and 4 million jobs.

Accordingly, there is speculation that the measure may be introduced on the 29th, when the decision on whether to extend the mandatory self-quarantine will be made.