Electronic checks at border will allow ‘red list’ travellers to dodge quarantine, union warns

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You will lose the ability to put that simple question ‘Where have you been in the last 10 days?’ which at the very least will pick up people who don’t realise that the country they’ve been to was on the red list.” Ms Moreton said that border staff will welcome the shorter queues which will result from reducing physical checks. “Lengthy checks at the border are creating excess queues, posing a risk to social distancing, passenger welfare and the overall border experience.” And Ms Moreton said: “There is no social distancing, there’s no space for social distancing. A Home Office spokesperson said: “Every passenger who comes through the e-gates is checked by Border Force for the passenger locator form and negative Covid test, and they are only open for arrivals from non-red list countries. We are enforcing robust border controls which is helping stop the spread of new coronavirus variants.” The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder said that the proposed delay to the return of e-gates after the expected reopening of international travel on 17 May suggested the government was not anticipating large-scale holidays abroad this summer.