Most Britons back government plans to quarantine travellers to UK

Only a tiny fraction think newcomers should be allowed to enter the UK without undergoing a period of isolation

Today new rules came into place requiring the vast majority of travellers to the UK to quarantine themselves for two weeks upon entry.

Even prior to their introduction, the British government was already reportedly looking at ways to relax these rules in the coming months, however.

There appears to be little support among the public for watering down the policy. Almost two thirds of Brits (63%) back the policy the way it is being implemented, with a further 24% thinking the two week quarantine period should only apply to those coming from high-risk countries.

A mere 4% of Britons think that travellers to the UK shouldn’t have to quarantine when arriving on British shores.

Britons of all political persuasions back the policy as it stands, including 59% of Conservative voters and 68% of Labour voters.

Lacklustre support for ‘air bridges’

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has proposed the idea of ‘air bridges’, whereby the UK would strike quarantine exemption deals with other countries that have low infection rates.

When a separate YouGov survey asked Britons how they felt about such a policy, only 35% said they would support it. A further 37% oppose it, with the remaining 27% of Britons unsure.

There is a more noticeable political divide over this policy, with Conservative voters in support by 44% to 34%, while Labour voters oppose it by 39% to 31%.