A man and a woman were each fined £10,000 ($13,924) for failing to go into hotel quarantine after returning to the UK from Dubai.
Officers said on Tuesday that the pair, from Wirral in north-west England, entered the UK from a third country in an attempt to avoid the mandatory 10-day quarantine.
The hotel quarantine policy applies to travellers from a so-called red list of 33 countries, which includes the UAE.
Travellers from those countries must declare if they have been to a high-risk country in the 10 days before arriving in the UK. From Monday, international travellers will also have to carry a form to prove they are allowed to travel.
I hope this incident sends out a clear message to anyone considering breaching travel regulations in this way that we will not tolerate it
Officers said they received a report about the pair last Tuesday before the two were fined the maximum penalty on Friday.
They were subsequently transferred to a quarantine hotel.
Chief Inspector Chris Barnes, from Merseyside Police, criticised the pair for their "selfish, inconsiderate, and potentially dangerous" actions, reminding travellers from red-list countries that they need to enter the UK through specific 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," he said.
"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," Insp Barnes said.
"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.”
Travellers who stay in quarantine hotels are forced to pay at least £1,750 for 11 nights, rising by an extra £1,200 if they test positive for coronavirus and need to extend their stay.
The scheme – designed to keep out mutant variants of the virus – was widely criticised, with some travellers holding up signs to the media to complain of human rights breaches.
Last week, one passenger held up a sign that read "HM Prison Heathrow", while other home-made signs read “What a way to spend your birthday”, and “Next time I’m coming home in a dinghy via Dover”.
Others summed up the experience with a thumbs-down to photographers outside the hotel.
One couple, Wagner and Elaine Araujo, told The National that the first few days were horrible but that they had become used to it and decided to make the most of the time.
"It's been like a second honeymoon," said Mr Aroujo, who comes from Brazil but has lived in London for 20 years.
“It’s like coming out of prison. We have a taste of freedom. It feels amazing,” Mrs Aroujo said.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
SCHEDULE FOR SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - from 4pm (UAE time)
Angelique Kerber (1) v Irina Falconi
Martin Klizan v Novak Djokovic (2)
Alexandr Dolgopolov v Roger Federer (3)
Court One - from 4pm
Milos Raonic (6) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Evgeniya Rodina
Dominic Thiem (8) v Vasek Pospisil
Court Two - from 2.30pm
Juan Martin Del Potro (29) v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Jelena Jankovic
Jeremy Chardy v Tomas Berdych (11)
Ons Jabeur v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
