BORDER OF NOTICE
Britain’s borders could be shut completely under plan to keep out mutant Covid strains
BRITAIN'S borders could be shut completely to overseas travel under draconian plans being considered by ministers to keep out mutant Coronavirus strains.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said harsher measures at the frontiers, which would lock out all non-Brits, are "under review".
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Mr Eustice insisted he did not want to see the borders being closed, but refused to rule anything out.
"I'd like to see us get past this pandemic get the vaccine rolled out and start opening things again instead of closing things," he told the BBC.
"We can't rule anything out but for now the restrictions we have in place for that requirement for quarantine and the requirement for a pre-travel test, we think that is sufficient and the right and appropriate measure for now."
Pressed on whether a full border closure was possible, he said all measures were always "kept under review".
But he warned ministers were alarmed at the prospect of new variants coming in and threatening the rollout of the vaccine.
"Different strains of this coronavirus are cropping up in other countries, concerns that there’s a risk that one day there will be a strain that might be able to evade the vaccine," Mr Eustice said.
It follows leaked plans to copy Australia's border measures by setting quarantine hotels where returning travellers would be forced to self-isolate.
Passengers would have to pay for their own stay in airport hotels to stop new strains of coronavirus escaping into the country.
A Government insider reportedly said the idea would be a "highly-popular policy".
The source said Government officials were "engaging" hotel groups on the possibility of using them to quarantine new arrivals.
Downing Street has denied there were plans to deny anyone without British or Irish citizenship entry to the UK.
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But the PM's spokesman said: "We're ready to strengthen our border policy where appropriate to protect public health."
Brits could have to wait until late spring or early summer, Mr Eustice said, saying he hadn't yet booked a foreign holiday.
Last night, Home Secretary Priti Patel said people should not be thinking about booking a summer holiday yet, stressing the number of new coronavirus cases is still incredibly high.
Ms Patel said the border measures in place were there to protect Britain's "world leading vaccination program".
Yesterday, Matt Hancock revealed 5 million doses of the vaccine had been given out, buoying Brits' hopes England was edging closer to freedom from lockdown.
Mr Eustice said he hoped "by the spring, we can start to turn the corner."
He told Sky News: "There is light at the end of the tunnel. Once we get all those vulnerable cohorts vaccinated and start to move down the age ranges in late Spring/early summer, I really think it will be possible to return to life much closer to normal.
"It won't be entirely normal initially but we will be able to come out of the lockdown and start living life again in the way we wanted it."
The Environment Secretary also refused to rule out a plan being drawn up by Department of Health officials to give people who test positive for Coronavirus £500 to cover the costs of self-isolation.
He said: "we do need people if they've been asked to self-isolate to self-isolate and obviously we always review the reasons why they might not.
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"No decisions have been made on this but this is a dynamic fast-moving situation with the pandemic but we're always keeping multiple policies under review."
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