UK expected to require 14-day quarantine for those entering country

The U.K. is expected to require incoming airline passengers to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the country due to concerns about the coronavirus, according to local reports.

The only passengers who are exempt from the new protocol, expected to take effect at the end of the month, are those coming from Ireland, the BBC reported.

Full details of the new measure are not yet known, but sources told the network that passengers would need to provide the address of a private residence where they plan to isolate when they land.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the quarantine measures during an address on Sunday, The Times reported.

Airlines UK, the organization that represents British Airways and other U.K.-based airlines, said in a statement that the government’s plan needs “a credible exit plan” and called for it to be reviewed frequently.

“We need to see the details of what they are proposing,” Airlines UK said.

Some of the country’s airliners and airports are worried about the economic impact the policy could have, the BBC reported.

Karen Dee, head of the Airport Operators Association, which represents most of the airports in the country, told the network that the rule should be applied only “on a selective basis following the science” in an effort to mitigate “the economic impact on key sectors.”

While incoming air travel has continued in the U.K. during the pandemic, government officials have said that the vast majority of travelers have been U.K. citizens traveling home, according to the BBC.