Covid: Ministers 'actively working on' quarantine hotels

The government is "actively working on" the possibility of asking arrivals into the UK to quarantine in hotels, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister said ministers were "definitely looking at" the idea, which has been implemented in Australia and New Zealand.

It is understood a group of senior ministers will meet to discuss the idea and how it would work.

It comes amid increased concerns over the spread of new coronavirus variants.

Under current travel curbs, almost all people arriving in the UK must test negative for Covid-19 to be allowed entry.

The test must be taken in the 72 hours before travelling and anyone arriving without one faces a fine of up to £500.

Passengers also have to quarantine for up to 10 days, although this period can be cut short with a second negative test after five days in England.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own quarantine rules, which differ slightly.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Johnson said the UK already had "one of the tightest regimes in the world" but the government wanted to "protect this country from reinfection from abroad" during the rollout of vaccines.

Asked who exactly would be required to self-isolate, he said: "We need a solution that gives us the maximum possible protection".

"You can see the risk - which is that we can do an amazing job of vaccinating the population," he told reporters.

"We have to realise there is at least the theoretical risk of a new variant that is a vaccine-busting variant coming in".