A Merseyside couple have each been hit with a £10,000 fine after failing to quarantine on returning from a trip to Dubai.
Today police confirmed that In a blatant breach of covid travel rules the man and woman from the Wirral failed to quarantine after returning home from the popular holiday destination, which is currently on the foreign travel red list.
The man and woman from Birkenhead were sprung at the end of last month and have both been taken to a designated quarantine hotel.
They have also been slapped with fines totalling £20,000 for the staggering rule breach.
Currently, the regulations mean that you must quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days if returning from a red list destination like Dubai.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we have issued two fixed penalty notices for failing to comply with Covid regulations following international travel.
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"On Tuesday, 23 February, it was reported that a man and woman from Wirral had failed to quarantine after returning home from Dubai, which is currently on the foreign travel red list.
"Following a police investigation, on Friday, 26 February, they were each issued with a £10,000 fine, and transported to a designated quarantine hotel."
Today the couple were branded "selfish" and "potentially dangerous" by appalled police officials.
Chief Inspector Chris Barnes said: “Strict rules around international travel have been put in place by the government for a reason, and to disregard them in this way is selfish, inconsiderate, and potentially dangerous.
“Currently, the regulations mean that if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK and are returning from a country on the foreign travel red list, you must quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days. If you are required to quarantine at a hotel, you can only arrive in England at certain ports of entry."
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He added: "In this instance, the pair in question avoided a direct flight route back from Dubai to one of the specified airports in an attempt to evade this process, however, this was ultimately unsuccessful and has now resulted in a significant fine of £10,000 each.
“I hope this incident sends out a clear message to anyone considering breaching travel regulations in this way that we will not tolerate it, and you will be dealt with robustly. We are at a crucial point in the pandemic and it’s vital that everyone continues to abide by the restrictions so that we can meet the criteria needed for lockdown to ease. By not doing so, you are not only jeopardising this process, but recklessly putting your health and the health of others at risk.”
For further guidance on travel restrictions, please follow the link.
