UK set to deal $18k fines for people who fail to self-isolate

The British government is set to introduce fines of up to $18,000 for people who breach self-isolation rules.

Boris Johnson at the construction site of a vaccine factory in Oxford on Friday. Picture: Getty Images

The British government is set to introduce fines of up to £10,000 ($17,722) for people who breach self-isolation rules as the UK steps up preparations for a second wave of COVID-19.

People on low incomes will be paid £500 to self-isolate at home in a carrot and stick approach to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

As daily infections rose to a four-month high of 4422 on Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make a television address to the nation on Tuesday to announce a further tightening of restrictions on ordinary life.

But at the weekend Mr Johnson was locked in a furious debate with his cabinet, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, over how universal and far-reaching the new measures should be, amid fears over the state of the economy.

He spent Sunday in Downing Street with officials considering options, including closing all pubs and restaurants or imposing a 10pm curfew and a nationwide ban on friends and separate households socialising. It is understood he will reject calls from scientists for an immediate two-week circuit breaker lockdown after being urged by Mr Sunak to minimise the number of businesses affected by any new curbs. It is still under consideration for the half-term fortnight next month.

Pedestrians walk past a Covid-19 test centre in Leyton, east London on Saturday. Picture: AFP

The development comes as pub and restaurant bosses warned that the hospitality industry is on the brink of crisis, with almost a million jobs at risk. Pub chains are calling on the chancellor to maintain his furlough scheme, which is due to run out at the end of October; extend the cut in VAT well into next year; and slash beer duty.

Some 900,000 workers in the hospitality sector are still on furlough, with many expected to lose their jobs next month.

Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led the government to order the lockdown in March, said the UK is facing a “perfect storm” following the easing of controls over the summer.

“If we leave it another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid-March. That’s clearly going to cause deaths because people will be hospitalised,” he told BBC Radio.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, will pave the way for Mr Johnson’s announcement on Monday when they unveil their latest advice. Early data on the rule of only six people together has shown compliance has not been strong enough, forcing the government to consider further restrictions.

New fines for those breaching self-isolation rules will start at £1000 — bringing this in line with the penalty for breaking quarantine after international travel — but could increase to up to £10,000 for repeat offences.

The Sunday Times