Travellers at UK airports have roundly criticised the new mandatory quarantine policy as they complained of "confusion" and "chaos" whilst travel bosses have also slammed the measures.
People claimed that the new restrictions caused confusion in deserted terminals as some passengers were unaware that they needed to complete a form - or face a hefty fine.
Brits Sarah Hartstein and Guy Potter complained of long delays after arriving at Heathrow Airport from Los Angeles this morning.
Ms Hartstein told the Standard : “There was quite a lot of confusion and people were being held up.”
Meanwhile at Stansted Airport, many passengers on a flight from Eindhoven in the Netherlands had filled in the form detailing where they will be staying before they landed.
Uwe Bogisch, 51, a car salesman, told the paper that he completed the form online but almost no one else had, and dubbed the situation "chaos."
His words were echoed by software developer Ali Gurlek, who said: “We didn’t know we had to fill in the form so had to do it when we arrived.
"There were queues. I agree with the quarantine but this is a shambles.”
He added: “Now we’re going to use public transport. If we have it then it’s going to spread that.
“It doesn’t look very common sense.”
Shopkeeper Netti Rexhmet, 32, who runs an off-licence in Chigwell in London, said he opposed the policy.
He said: “We haven’t got any other options, it’s Government law so I shall do it.
“For me, I wouldn’t want to do it. I’d like to be open.
“I’ve got things to do, you have to live now, you have to pay.”
Kamil Farah, 24, from East Ham, London, said she would follow the measures.
She said: “I don’t want to do it but I have to for the better good.
“There’s a lot of people dying and a lot of things happened this year."
The measures require people arriving in England to supply contact details, travel details and the address of where they will self-isolate for the next 14 days.
Border Force officials will carry out spot checks at the border and can impose fines on travellers who refuse to comply.
Anyone failing to provide details or breaching self-isolation could be fined up to £1,000.
This morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said fast-track tests were needed at airports.
“We have got the situation where – weeks ago – other countries put quarantine in and we didn’t,” he told LBC Radio.
“Now as everybody’s lifting it we’re putting it in.”
He added “I actually would much prefer to see some sort of testing regime at the airport” or “within days of coming in”.
