Coronavirus: Police issue no fines for travel quarantine breaches

Not a single person was fined by police in England and Wales for breaching quarantine rules in the first two weeks after they were introduced, data shows.

Under the rules, people arriving in the UK must self-isolate for 14 days or face a fine of between £100 and £1,000.

From Friday, those coming from certain countries will not have to quarantine.

The figures released also show police issued 10 fines to passengers for not wearing face coverings on public transport up to 22 June.

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The National Police Chiefs' Council, which published the data, said that up to 22 June, no fines were issued by forces in England and Wales for breaches of the quarantine rules after arriving in the UK from abroad.

The figures do not include fines given by the Border Force, which has issued three tickets.

Two British nationals were fined at Coquelles, near Calais, in northern France, on 28 June, while a European was fined in Hull the following day.

The government's quarantine policy, introduced on 8 June, was met with fierce criticism over the impact on the UK's travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

From Friday morning, people arriving in the UK from France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and dozens of other countries will no longer have to spend 14 days in quarantine.

However, Scotland still requires people travelling from Spain to quarantine - unlike England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A No 10 spokesman said the system was "informed by science" and designed to "keep us all safe".

There had been a "high level of compliance" with the rules, he said, which the government expects to continue.

He added that full data on the enforcement of the rules at the border would be published in "due course".

Face coverings became mandatory on public transport on 15 June in England and passengers found breaking the rules can be being fined £100 and removed from services.

The British Transport Police was the only force to hand out fines in England and Wales, issuing 10 tickets up to 22 June.

The NPCC cautioned that the data did not include instances where someone had been refused travel, as police only intervene if "significant issues" are reported.

A total of 18,656 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs), comprising 16,019 in England and 2,637 in Wales, have been recorded by forces up to 6 July, according to the provisional data.

Police were first given powers to disband gatherings and fine people for breaching restriction of movement rules under the Health Protection Regulations 2020 on 27 March.

Police broke up events at Clapham Common at the end of last month

Just 97 fines were issued in England and 57 handed out in Wales during the two weeks to 6 July.

The figures do not include fines issued during the local lockdown in Leicester, which was announced on 30 June, although the laws enforcing it only came in on 3 July. People or businesses that repeatedly flout these new laws can be fined up to £3,200.

Martin Hewitt, the NPCC chairman, stressed the need for everyone to be "personally responsible" in their daily lives by wearing face coverings "where necessary" and avoiding crowded public places.