England's hotel quarantine system working smoothly, Hancock says

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock gives an update on the COVID-19 pandemic at a virtual news conference at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain February 8, 2021. Tolga Akmen/Pool via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s new COVID-19 hotel quarantine system for arrivals from 33 “red list” countries appears to be working smoothly a few hours after it was introduced, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday.

 

The government has introduced a new demand that arrivals from the 33 countries, which include Brazil and South Africa, will have to pay to spend 10 days quarantined in a hotel room in a bid to stop new variants of the coronavirus from entering the country.

 

“As of 6.30, when I got my latest update, this is working smoothly, we’ve been working with the airports and with the border force to make sure everybody knows the process,” Hancock told Times Radio.

 

“It does appear to be going smoothly this morning.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-15

 

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And yet:

 

"Hotel quarantine rollout in England 'an absolute joke', says border official"

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/15/hotel-quarantine-rollout-in-england-an-absolute-joke-says-border-official

 

Surely a British government minister couldn't be lying to try to cover up bungling incompetence ...

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Britain’s new COVID-19 hotel quarantine system for arrivals from 33 “red list” countries appears to be working smoothly a few hours after it was introduced, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday.

Well, he would, wouldn’t he. 

With no arrivals it's very smoothly indeed.

Maybe it's not as easy as he says; after all, he is a politician, but I'm 100% it is easier than the Thai system.

7 minutes ago, curlylekan said:

Maybe it's not as easy as he says; after all, he is a politician, but I'm 100% it is easier than the Thai system.

 

As someone who went through the Thai system I'd agree that the process is a bit laborious, however, it works.