Covid clampdown on UK arrivals

All travellers entering the UK will be required to take two coronavirus tests while quarantining in an attempt to prevent variants entering the country, health secretary Matt Hancock will tell the House of Commons later today.

Arrivals are expected to be required to get a test on days two and eight of their 10-day quarantine period.

The Department of Health said the move would provide a "further level of protection", enabling authorities to track new cases more effectively.

Thousands of hotel rooms, including some near Birmingham Airport, are being block-booked by the government.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, (GBCC) has continued to lobby for additional support for the airport and the wider aviation industry which has been so badly hit by the restrictions imposed around coronavirus.

It is in addition to the current rules which say travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to be allowed entry.

This test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling, and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500, with Border Force officials carrying out spot checks.

The "test to release scheme" where travellers from non-red list countries can leave home isolation after a negative test on day five will stay, the BBC reported.

Travellers must provide contact details and their UK address. They can then travel - by public transport if necessary - to the place where they plan to self-isolate.

Meanwhile, from 15 February, UK residents and Irish nationals arriving from certain countries will have to quarantine in hotels.

Passengers will be required to stay in their rooms for 10 nights, with security guards accompanying if they go outside.

The rules will apply to UK nationals and residents arriving from 33 "red list" Covid-19 hotspots - mostly in South America and Africa - where it's feared Covid variants may have already spread. Passengers will be expected to pay for the cost of the accommodation.

Non-UK travellers who have been in these countries in the 10 days before travelling are banned from entry.