Has The Government Gone Too Far?
Good Afternoon Sense-ibles,
It has been a well-established rule that a Government’s first priority is to keep its citizens safe from harm and danger, External or domestic. No one could have predicted the scale of the invisible enemy we are currently fighting. This may have been why the government went to a place they haven’t been yet been.
From Monday, people arriving in England from "red list" countries must isolate for 10 days in hotels, costing £1,750.
It follows concerns that existing vaccines being rolled out in the UK may struggle to control new virus variants identified around the world.
Failing to quarantine in a designated hotel after arriving from a "red list" country will carry a fine of between £5,000 and £10,000.
The 10-year jail term would be the maximum penalty for anyone found to have falsified their travel history on the mandatory passenger locator form filled in by travellers when they arrive in the UK.
New border measures also require international arrivals to pay for additional tests during their quarantine period.
Downing Street said MPs will not be asked to vote on the plans as the government will be including the restrictions under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.
Asked about harsh penalties attached to the new measures, Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast those who are fined as much as £10,000 would have to "go out of their way to lie and cheat" the new system.
Mr Shapps said the 10-year maximum jail term reflected the "serious" nature of the offence.
"I think the British public would expect pretty strong action" for those who seek to evade hotel quarantine, he said.
Around 1,300 people a week are arriving into the UK from the 33 red list countries - including Portugal, Brazil and South Africa - at the moment, Mr Shapps said.
This was the topic of our #CommonSenseLive stream this week! Take a look below
M.T. Omoniyi — Editor-In-Chief
Donald Trump Impeachment Hearing Begins
With Trump officially out of office, the Senate begins the debate on whether Donald Trump should be impeached over the recent storming of the Capitol. Tune in this weeks at the Editor’s desk.
What's The Future Of Influencers? W/ Mr 200m
Digital Strategist and YouTuber Josiah Hyacinth (mr200m) joins Mike this week on the latest episode of the Lets Talk Common Sense podcast, as they talk about the pros and cons of living life online and the future of the influencer economy.
You can join in the conversation online using the hashtag #LTCS! LISTEN NOW.
Top articles from www.tcsnetwork.co.uk
A Short Guide To The Indian Farmer Protests— With 100 people missing and over 200 detained by local police, the farmer protests in India have careened out of control. Global coverage of the affair is growing as…read more here
Should The Police Be Enforcing ‘Essential’ Journeys or Not?— British Transport Police tweeted an image of their officers at a train station, enforcing ‘essential’ journeys by turning people away and issuing fines…read more here
Is It Time We All Finally Support Scottish Independence?— Last week, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the U.K. will either become a “failed state” or be “reformed” as he urged politicians to counter.…read more here
We are currently hosting a weekly live show called Common Sense Live on YouTube, subscribe and tune in!
For more updates, follow us YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and @TCSNetwork on Twitter and Instagram! Why don’t you share this newsletter, like, comment and let us know your thoughts
Thank you for keeping up with the common sense updates.
Aramide Yusuff