The Sunday News
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
TRAVELLERS to the United Kingdom from Zimbabwe will have to pay £1,750 so they can isolate for 10 days in a designated hotel on arrival, as the country has been placed on a red list of 33 countries that the UK regards as high risk.
The countries on the red list, which include Zimbabwe’s neighbours South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho and Eswatini, are already subject to a travel ban by the UK.
Flights to the UK from these destinations are suspended and the only arrivals permitted from there are British and Irish nationals or those with UK residence rights.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs in the House of Commons that the new rules will take effect from 15 February.
“We’re setting up a new system of hotel quarantine for UK and Irish residents who’ve been in red list countries in the last 10 days. In short, this means that any returning residents from these countries will have to quarantine in an assigned hotel room for 10 days from the time of arrival.
“Before they travel, they’ll have to book through an online platform and pay for a quarantine package costing £1,750 for an individual travelling alone which includes the hotel, transport and testing. This booking system will go live on Thursday when we’ll also publish the full detailed guidance.
“Passengers will only be able to enter the UK through a small number of ports that currently account for the vast majority of passenger arrivals. When they arrive, they’ll be escorted to a designated hotel which will be closed to guests who aren’t quarantining, for 10 days or for longer if they test positive for Covid-19 during their stay,” he said.
