A man and woman have been fined £10,000 each for failing to quarantine after returning from Dubai, police have said.

Merseyside Police said fixed penalty notices for failing to comply with travel regulations were handed to two people from the Wirral after they avoided a direct flight back from the country, which is currently on the foreign travel red list, to one of the specified ports of entry required for quarantine.

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A force spokesman said they received a report last Tuesday and following an investigation, both were fined on Friday and transported to a designated quarantine hotel.

Chief Inspector Chris Barnes said: “Strict rules around international travel have been put in place by the government for a reason, and to disregard them in this way is selfish, inconsiderate, and potentially dangerous.

“Currently, the regulations mean that if you are a British or Irish national, or you have residence rights in the UK and are returning from a country on the foreign travel red list, you must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.

“If you are required to quarantine at a hotel, you can only arrive in England at certain ports of entry.

“In this instance, the pair in question avoided a direct flight route back from Dubai to one of the specified airports in an attempt to evade this process. However, this was ultimately unsuccessful and has now resulted in a significant fine of £10,000 each.

“I hope this incident sends out a clear message to anyone considering breaching travel regulations in this way that we will not tolerate it, and you will be dealt with robustly.

“We are at a crucial point in the pandemic and it’s vital that everyone continues to abide by the restrictions so that we can meet the criteria needed for lockdown to ease. By not doing so, you are not only jeopardising this process but recklessly putting your health and the health of others at risk.”

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