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The British government has imposed a UK immigration ban on people from or transiting through Denmark amid a mass coronavirus outbreak in the Scandinavian country. According to an official announcement, all non-UK nationals or resident travellers who have been in or passed through Denmark in the last 14 days will be refused UK entry.
The immigration ban comes following a huge spike in coronavirus cases across Denmark’s mink farms. The ban came into force on Saturday 7 November at 4am.
In addition to the ban, the government has announced the expansion of self-isolation requirements for Brits arriving from Denmark, after the country was removed from the government’s list of travel corridors.
14 day self-isolation
The government has instructed British nationals or residents returning to the UK either directly or indirectly from Denmark to self-isolate for 14 days, which includes members of their household.
A statement issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) said: “Unlike other travel to the UK, there will be no exemptions to this quarantine policy. Anyone who has returned from Denmark within the last two weeks will be contacted to ensure they complete the self-isolation needed to ensure the virus does not spread across the UK.”
“The UK government is working closely with international partners to understand the changes in the virus that have been reported in Denmark and we are conducting a programme of further research here in the UK to inform our risk assessments,” the statement added.
It’s understood that the UK immigration ban imposed on Denmark will be reviewed on 14 November.
The DfT said: “Decisions on border measures and travel advice can be changed rapidly if necessary, to help stop the spread of the disease.”
Mink farm outbreak
A press release on the UK government’s official website reports that the Home Office has enforced UK immigration powers following notification from health authorities in Denmark that there had been widespread outbreaks of COVID-19 across mink farms, with a variant strain of the disease spreading to some local communities.
To ensure compliance with the immigration ban, the Home Office announced that they would step up the presence of Border Force officers at airports and other points of entry to ensure that the restrictions are enforced.
Second UK lockdown
The UK immigration restrictions imposed on people arriving from Denmark come following Britain’s second lockdown of 2020 as the government tries to ease rising coronavirus case numbers and deaths across the UK.
Details of a second lockdown emerged on Monday 2 November and came into effect on Thursday 5 November. The latest lockdown is set to run until 2 December. However, there are rumours that lockdown 2.0 could be extended following comments made by several ministers, including Robert Buckland, the justice secretary.
Mr Buckland said: “We’ve got to follow the evidence. If there isn’t to be an extension of this, we go back into the tier system anyway, so we’d leave on a regional or local basis. You can’t rule anything out in this crisis and the Prime Minister has said that from day one.”
Under the new lockdown rules, pubs, bars, restaurants and other non-essential shops have been closed for a four-week period. Houses of worship have also been restricted to opening for private prayer only, with services prohibited.
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