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Travelers visiting the U.K. may face 10 years in prison if they lie about where they have been, as part of tough new rules aimed at combating the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Details of new plans to prevent different strains of coronavirus coming across the border were set out on Tuesday by health minister Matt Hancock.
Visitors from a “red-list” of 33 countries will be placed in quarantine hotels by the government for 10 days and asked to submit three COVID-19 tests over the period.
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The travelers will have to pay £1,750 ($2,423) for being transported to the hotels, the room and food. Couples will be charged £2,400 — children won’t be charged.
Anyone who tries to avoid quarantine faces a fine of up to £10,000, and anyone who lies about the location from which they have come faces a prison term of up to 10 years. The length of the penalty has caused some controversy because it is on a par with those charged with attempted rape and assault.
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Speaking in the House of Commons, Hancock said: “Anyone who lies on the passenger locator form and tries to conceal that they’ve been in a country on the red list in the 10 days before arrival here, will face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
“We will be putting in place tough fines for people who don’t comply. This includes a £1,000 penalty for any international arrival who fails to take a mandatory test,” Hancock told Parliament.
