UK hotel quarantine rules challenged in court – POLITICO
Lawyers representing UK travelers are seeking a judicial review of British government policy requiring a 10-day hotel quarantine for those arriving from countries considered high-risk for coronavirus.
PGMBM layers saying on Thursday the rules were not proportionate and hurt civil liberties.
The UK currently requires travelers to spend 10 days in a hotel if they arrive from countries on the so-called “red list”, which includes more than 60 countries and territories, mainly in the developing world. This includes travelers who are vaccinated and have had a negative PCR test.
Tom Goodhead, managing partner of PGMBM, described the policy as a “fundamental violation of human rights.” He noted that the cost to travelers to quarantine on Thursday rose to £ 2,285, up from £ 1,750. The law firm said it wanted vaccinated travelers to reimburse their quarantine costs.
“Prisoners have the right to more freedom than those forced to quarantine in hotels. We have all read about the horrible experiences of some of the people in these hotels. We want this draconian policy to be lifted and for those affected to be adequately compensated, ”said Goodhead of PGMBM.
In a ad Last week, Health Minister Sajid Javid justified the addition of Georgia, La Reunion, Mayotte and Mexico to the red list, as this would help to “protect the success of our vaccine launch from the threat of new variants” .
As vaccine adoption increases, travel restrictions have become an even more politically charged issue. The current US ban on non-essential travel from the EU, despite similar vaccination rates between the two, has faced protests from top EU officials.
PGBM noted that the only EU countries that impose mandatory quarantines on hotels are Ireland and Norway and that both have exemptions for fully vaccinated travelers.
.
