Quarantine proposals don't go far enough, Welsh Government says

Wales' only international airport is Cardiff

Plans for quarantine hotels for people from Covid hotspots do not go far enough, the Welsh Government said.

Boris Johnson has announced that UK nationals and residents from 22 countries, including South Africa and Portugal, will be provided accommodation for 10 days to isolate.

The Welsh Government said that the need for a joint approach between the UK and Ireland had already been agreed.

But more discussions were required, it added.

The remarks came ahead of discussions between First Minister Mark Drakeford and UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove about the issue on Wednesday.

The Welsh Government has not stated a preferred option publicly, but there have been calls from the Labour party for everybody arriving in the UK to be quarantined in hotels.

• Arrivals from Covid hotspots face hotel quarantine

• Which UK arrivals have to quarantine in a hotel?

Earlier in emerged that ten South African Covid variant cases have been discovered in Wales.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland could introduce tougher quarantine rules for international travellers.

While the Scottish Government would "initially emulate the UK government's steps on enhancing quarantine arrangements, we will be seeking urgently to persuade them to go much further and indeed to move to a comprehensive system of supervised quarantine", she said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also backed tougher measures in the Commons on Wednesday.

He said it is known know some of the new coronavirus variants are coming from abroad but the route was not.

"Surely the prime minister can see what is required now is everybody coming into the country from anywhere in the world should be tested and subject to quarantine in a hotel."

Mr Johnson told Sir Keir the UK had "one of the toughest regimes in the world".

"We ask people to test 72 hours before they fly. They have to produce a passenger locator form, otherwise they are kicked off the flight. They already have to quarantine for 10 days," he said.

Wales has one international airport - Cardiff. Its departure board lists one flight to Dublin for 31 January.

Quarantine policy on Covid is effectively devolved between the four UK nations, although the policy has remained broadly similar between them.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said everybody coming into the country should be "subject to quarantine in a hotel"

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We have agreed on the need for a joint approach between the four nations of the UK and the Republic of Ireland to strengthen border health measures, in order to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.

"However, we do not believe the approach as set out by the UK Government goes far enough.

"Further discussions on the details of the proposals will take place as soon as possible."

He added that the UK Government's proposals were "the minimum that needs to be done to protect UK citizens from new variants of coronavirus in other parts of the world".