UK quarantine masks airport
© PA:Press AssociationPassengers return home to UK to face quarantine after a trip to Croatia
Police forces across the country are dealing with thousands of potential violations of quarantine rules involving holidaymakers who may not be self-isolating after trips abroad, the Guardian can reveal.

The requests for "further action" have been raised by Border Force officials and public health authorities, who have been tasked with ensuring that people returning from abroad are abiding by regulations designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.


Comment: The Border Force have actual problems to deal with: 409 migrants reach England's shores in a single day, breaking record set just last month


The details emerged as leading scientists warned that the UK is fast approaching a pivotal moment. With another surge in the number of positive cases recorded on Friday, they urged people to keep following the rules or risk the return of widespread lockdown across the UK.


Comment: Positive cases that are mostly asymptomatic and will likely confer immunity.


"We are at a point where there's a risk that wider transmission of Covid could increase again," said Catherine Noakes, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Leeds and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).

"Transmission depends on the amount of contact between people, and with schools and universities returning and many more people going back to work, the level of interactions in communities is likely to increase."

The warning came as the government's daily figures showed 1,940 new cases - the highest since May, and continued political in-fighting between England, Scotland and Wales over their different approaches. New developments included:
  • Public Health England (PHE) identifying Leeds as an "area of concern" following a surge in cases - as coronavirus tests began to run out in parts of north-east England.
  • Documents from Sage revealed scientists had told ministers it was "highly likely" there would be significant outbreaks of the virus in higher education sites this term. They said there was a "critical" risk of infected students seeding outbreaks across the UK.
  • The Scottish and Welsh governments accused Boris Johnson's administration of ignoring scientific advice about quarantining travellers returning from Portugal and Greece.
  • The biggest UK-owned airport group urged the government to urgently introduce coronavirus testing for arrivals, saying there was "ongoing uncertainty and confusion surrounding the restrictions British people will face when they travel abroad".



Comment: That's not only because these rules do not make sense but also because they're being changed at the drop of a hat, and one can infer that this is because it's not science that is dictating policy but rather another agenda: Dance, monkey, dance! Nearly half a million Brits in France scramble to get home as UK announces quarantine restrictions


A self-isolation period of 14 days is a requirement for anyone arriving back to the UK after international travel, with the exception of certain countries. But countries on the exemption list vary across the UK, leading to further confusion over exactly what restrictions people are expected to adhere to.

Those who are required to self-isolate in England may be contacted by PHE to check they are following the regulations.

But if there is no response after a number of attempts, the details of the individual are referred to the police by Border Force, who then send an officer to the person's home address.

The Metropolitan police said it had received more than 1,000 referrals since the beginning of August from the UK Border Force for quarantine checks to be carried out.

So far, officers had visited 840 individuals who had returned from overseas territories requiring quarantine, and plan to contact another 301 holidaymakers who had recently returned to the UK.

Greater Manchester police said its officers had received 263 quarantine requests from the UKBF regarding individuals who were not responding to self-isolation requirements. Officers said they had also issued two fixed-penalty notices in relation to people repeatedly breaching the self-isolation regulations.