All travellers entering the UK will have to take two coronavirus tests while in quarantine in an attempt to prevent mutant variants entering the country.
Arrivals are expected to be required to get a test on days two and eight of their 10-day quarantine period.
This is in addition to the current rules which say travellers arriving in the UK must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken in the 72 hours before travelling to be allowed entry and must self-isolate for 10 days.
Anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500, with Border Force officials carrying out spot checks.
An “enhanced” testing regime for all arrivals in the fight against new variants of Covid-19 is expected to be confirmed by UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock later on Tuesday.
Under the change it is expected people would then also have to take two tests on Day 2 and Day 8 of their 10-day quarantine period.
The new rules could come into force from February 15, the same date as hotel quarantine for UK residents and Irish nationals returning from a hotlist of countries.
Under the plans passengers will have 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 is 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.
The move comes as a leading diseases expert warned that borders “cannot stop infectious diseases”.
Professor David Heymann, a leading epidemiologist said: “We know that borders cannot stop infectious diseases no matter how rigid your controls are, there will always be some that comes through.”
He added: “We’ve seen that countries that have closed their borders, such as New Zealand, have kept the virus out, but now their problem is what do they when they begin to open their borders?
“So I think the best way forward is to live understanding that viruses and bacteria, any infection, can cross borders and we have to have the defences in our own countries to deal with them.”
