The suspension of all "travel corridors" from the early hours of Monday was announced by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson, which means that all arrivals from abroad will have to be quarantined for ten days on British soil.
The measure will apply throughout the United Kingdom and aims to minimize the chances of introducing new strains of the coronavirus, as Mr Johnson explained following the concern over the detection of another mutant strain of the coronavirus, this time from B .
Those who have to travel to the UK for a necessary reason are required to show the airline a negative diagnostic test that they will have done within 72 hours before departure, as well as to have a completed passenger tracking form.
The ten-day quarantine can be reduced by a few days if the person undergoes a new test on the fifth day of arrival and receives a negative result.
The chief physician for England, Professor Chris Whitey, told Prime Minister Johnson that the lockdown restrictions had begun to work, as "almost everyone" was complying with them. He estimated that the rate of increase of cases has stabilized and that it will start to slow down.
He warned, however, that the number of hospitalizations would peak in the coming days and that the peak in the number of deaths would come later, as a result of the increase in hospitalizations.
Boris Johnson added that there are some first signs that the situation is starting to improve, especially in London.
Professor Whitey also said he still believed the situation would be much better in the spring, but made it clear that not all restrictions would be lifted overnight.