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.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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