Priti Patel: Expect 'Knock on the door' when coming back from amber list countries

20 May 2021, 13:59

The Home Secretary has warned people who return from amber list countries that they will face a "knock on the door" from a Covid-19 enforcement team to check they are quarantining.

In the Daily Mail, Priti Patel said "Yes, people should" expect a knock on the door.

"There is a service, provision is in place, capacity has been increased for that very reason. People will not go unchecked.

"Significant resources have been put in place - millions of pounds - in terms of the follow-up checking of people around their testing and making sure they stay at home. It has been stepped up."

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps this morning urged people to be patient and wait for the global coronavirus situation to improve if they wanted to go on holiday to countries which were currently on the "amber list".

But easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren described the Government's messaging on whether people should go on holiday to amber list destinations as "very confusing to say the least".

Asked if easyJet customers were flying to amber countries for leisure despite Government guidance not to do so, he replied: "Yes, people are booking flights and they're going there on holidays.

"I think that the view was to apply common sense, and I think that there's a lot of people out there who have as a top priority coming through this pandemic to go on that holiday break.

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"That is what people are doing."

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis called the move "heavy-handed" and said "it won’t work yet again".

He added: "It’ll be just as effective as the last test and trace."

Richard Tice, leader of the Reform Party, said the Government's priorities are "all wrong". 

He asked: "Surely we want police to focus on preventing knife crime, catching burglars not spying on holidaymakers.   What sort of police state have we become?"