The Government has hired a private firm to carry out 10,000 home visits every day to check if overseas arrivals are complying with mandatory quarantine rules. Those arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 10 days. Arrivals from countries on the Government’s “red list” must isolate at a Government-approved hotel – and pay £1,750 for the privilege. Mitie has been awarded a contract by the Home Office allowing it to spend up to £90 million on home visits. The Mail has the story.
Priti Patel has stepped up the Government’s crackdown on mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals by hiring a firm to do up to 10,000 house checks per day.
Mitie has been tasked by the Home Office to catch flouters failing to undergo their required period of isolation.
Their extra manpower will dramatically increase the capacity for daily home visits, which at present number about 1,000 and are carried out by police. …
Under tight border rules to insulate from worrying variants and infection spikes in Europe, all overseas arrivals must go into self-isolation for 10 days, which can be shortened by testing negative.
For people arriving from countries on the Department for Transport’s red list, this self-isolation must be done in Government-approved hotels. Fines start at £1,000 and jump to £10,000 for repeated rule-breaking.
Mitie enforcers will conduct checks on travellers who are required to self-isolate at home, but will not do hotel visits.
A Government source said: “The number of operatives will vary depending on the number of visits needed, and the locations of the visits.
“If appropriate, Mitie staff may visit certain travellers more than once, if they are suspected of breaching their requirement to self-isolate.”
Mitie has been handed a number of other Covid-related contracts over the past year and currently supplies testing sites with testing staff, security and cleaners.
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