Covid: Wirral pair fined over Dubai quarantine breach

The pair took a non-direct flight route home from Dubai in an attempt to avoid isolation, police said

A man and a woman have each been issued with a £10,000 fine for failing to quarantine after returning to the UK from Dubai.

Police said the pair, from Wirral, took several different flights on their way home in an attempt to avoid having to isolate, but were tracked and fined.

Dubai is currently on the red list of 33 countries deemed high-risk for those arriving in England.

Ch Insp Chris Barnes called their actions "selfish and inconsiderate".

A Merseyside Police spokesman said officers received a report last Tuesday that a man and woman had failed to quarantine.

After an investigation, the pair were visited at their homes and fined, before being transported to a quarantine hotel.

The new regulations, which aim to stop Covid-19 variants entering the country, apply to all arrivals who have been in a high-risk country in the previous 10 days.

Ch Insp Barnes added: "Strict rules around international travel have been put in place by the government for a reason, and to disregard them in this way is selfish, inconsiderate, and potentially dangerous."

The force added those breaching travel regulations would always be "dealt with robustly".

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