Lying About Visting COVID-19 Hot Spot Could Land You in Jail for 10 Years

If you are traveling to England and are found to have lied about visiting a country on the British government's travel ban list, you could land in prison for up to10 years.

Residents from the UK and Ireland arriving in England from places on the ban list have to purchase a "quarantine package" that costs 1,750 pounds or $2,400 per person. This includes accommodations, virus testing, and other items. According to KTLA if you travel from any of the red lists countries and without a hotel booked you could be subjected to a series of fines.

"I make no apologies for the strength of these measures because we're dealing with one of the strongest threats to our public health that we've faced as a nation. People who flout these rules are putting us all at risk." said Health Secretary Matt Hancock

There are about 33 countries on the red list because of concerns of the new variants of coronavirus. British and Ireland citizens as well as all other UK residents, are permitted to enter provided they self isolate for 10 days after they arrive. They wont be able to quarantine themselves at home, unlike those arriving from countries on the ban list. Instead, they have to go to a dedicated online portal and buy a package that includes accommodation, food, beverages, and PCR testing for so-called "variant surveillance" on days two and eight of their quarantine period.

The "enhanced testing" regime, will be required of everyone arriving in England and anyone failing to do so will be fined up to 10,000 pounds or $13,800 or a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Lying about where you travel could land you more time than if you robbed a bank. Lying just doesn't seem worth it.

Photo credit: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content