The UK is expected to make two coronavirus tests during quarantine mandatory for travellers arriving from abroad, reported AFP.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock would soon announce that people staying in
isolation at home will have to get themselves tested on the second and eighth
day of the mandatory 10-day quarantine period.

The new measures, which critics say come too late to curb the spread of
the virus, are aimed at halting new variants.

“Enhancing our testing regime to cover all arrivals while they
isolate will provide a further level of protection and enable us to better
track any new cases, which might be brought into the country, and give us even
more opportunities to detect new variants,” a spokesman said.

Also Read | COVID-19 vaccinations in the UK breach the 10 million mark

Environment secretary George Eustice confirmed that announcements on the
new quarantine regime would be made in the Parliament later on Tuesday.

“We have to be ever mindful of the risk of other variants entering
the country,” he told BBC radio.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been under pressure to
tighten rules for international travellers, following criticism the regime was
too lax.

New mandatory hotel quarantine rules for travellers returning from
dozens of countries, who they believe pose high risk of COVID-19, are due to start
from February 15.

Also Read | UK achieves COVID-19 vaccination milestone as Boris Johnson warns of ‘difficult times’ ahead

The new rules will require all UK citizens and permanent residents
returning from countries on a travel ban list to self-isolate in a
government-approved facility for 10 days.

Visitors from the 33 countries currently on the list, which
includes all South American nations and South Africa, are currently barred from
visiting Britain under virus lockdown rules.