Data for the managed quarantine service
Published 7 May 2021
Applies to England
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Background on the service
From 15 February 2021, everyone[footnote 1] allowed to enter England from outside the Common Travel Area (Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) is required to quarantine for 10 days and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of quarantining as part of the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS). Under the traffic light framework set out on 9 April (to take effect from 17 May 2021 at the earliest), those returning to England from ‘green list’ countries/territories will not be required to quarantine and will need to present a negative pre-departure test to be taken within the 72 hours before departure as well as only to take a PCR test on or before day 2 of their arrival.
A country/territory may be designated green, amber or red following a ministerial decision-making process. Designations of countries/territories are published by the Department for Transport and are reviewed on a regular basis. Therefore, they are subject to change and the data released will reflect the lists as they were on the date of release. For more detail see guidance on entering the UK. This bulletin and the existing Test and Trace bulletin only contain data relating to ‘red list’ and ‘amber list’ countries/territories. However, table 3 in the accompanying data tables contains data for all countries/territories (including ‘green list’ countries/territories) where a traveller has been registered in the corresponding time period.
People arriving in England who have visited or passed through a country/territory where travel to the UK is banned (‘red list’ countries/territories[footnote 2]) are required to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel. Only British or Irish Nationals, or people with residence rights in the UK, are allowed to do this. People arriving from ‘amber list’ countries/territories are required to quarantine at home[footnote 3] .
About this data
A full explanation of the data sources and methods used to produce these statistics can be found in the NHS Test and Trace statistics methodology.
People quarantining
All arrivals who do not meet exemptions[footnote 1] are required to book a travel test package and complete a passenger locator form with details of where they will quarantine, either at home[footnote 4] (for ‘amber list’ countries/territories) or in a managed quarantine hotel (for ‘red list’ countries/territories).
Since the MQS launched on 15 February 2021, 477,629 people have started quarantining at home or in a managed quarantine hotel. Between 22 and 28 April 2021, 21,205 people started quarantining, compared to 25,589 in the previous week.
In every week since MQS launched, more people were quarantining at home (for ‘amber list’ countries/territories) than in a managed quarantine hotel (for ‘red list’ countries/territories). In the latest week, 15,207 were quarantining at home (for ‘amber list’ countries/territories) and 5,998 in a managed quarantine hotel (for ‘red list’ countries/territories).
The true number of quarantine package bookings for ‘amber list’ arrivals will be higher than what has been reported, as international arrivals have the option to book their PCR tests via a private provider and these bookings are not yet included in these figures.
Table 1: number of people starting their quarantine at home or in a managed quarantine hotel, England arrivals
| Previous reporting week: number of quarantine packages booked | Current reporting week: number of quarantine packages booked | Since MQS launched, 15 Feb to 28 Apr: number of quarantine packages booked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| People quarantining at home | 20,839 | 15,207 | 449,684 |
| People quarantining in a managed quarantine hotel | 4,750 | 5,998 | 27,945 |
| Total | 25,589 | 21,205 | 477,629 |
This data can be found in the ‘table_1’ tab of the accompanying data tables. This table was also published as part of the routine Test and Trace statistics on 6 May 2021.
People taking tests
People quarantining following their arrival in the UK from ‘red list’ or ‘amber list’ countries/territories are required to take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of their return to the UK. All positive samples are sent for whole genome sequencing to identify, monitor and limit the number of variants in the UK population. The ‘day 2’ test is designed to help identify any potentially harmful variants of COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity and provide population-level variant surveillance. If a person gets a positive result from their day 2 test, they do not need to take a test on day 8. If a person has quarantined for 10 days and received a negative result to both their day 2 and day 8 tests, they may stop quarantining.
Those arriving from ‘green list’ countries will only have to test negative before departure, and take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2, and do not have to enter managed quarantine or isolate at home (unless they test positive on the day 2 test).
Since 11 March 2021, people quarantining at home (from non ‘red list’ countries/territories) have the option to use tests from private providers rather than the Test and Trace programme if they wish where tests meet stringent minimum testing standards. This data is not currently included in the published figures.
This bulletin and the existing Test and Trace bulletin only contain data relating to ‘red list’ and ‘amber list’ countries/territories. However, table 3 in the accompanying data tables contains data for all countries/territories (including ‘green list’ countries/territories) where a traveller has been registered in the corresponding time period.
The number of tests in tables 2 and 3 includes only tests which have been correctly registered against a passenger and processed by being returned to a testing facility where a PCR test was carried out on the sample and the results of the sample logged.
The number of tests registered and processed each week will not be the same as the number of people quarantining in that same week for several reasons:
- the cohort of people starting their quarantine will not be the same cohort of people who take their day 2 test in a given week. For example, people starting their quarantine towards the end of the week will have their day 2 tests fall into the following week
- there may be differences in the population quarantining and those who are required to take a test, for example children under 5 do not need to take a test
- passengers with a positive test on day 2 are not required to take a day 8 test
- correct completion and return of test data is required by the person taking the test to ensure that tests are correctly registered
Between 26 March and 22 April 2021, 185,463 registered and processed tests have been taken by people quarantining at home (arrivals from ‘amber list’ countries/territories) and 21,392 registered and processed tests have been taken by people quarantining in a managed quarantine hotel (arrivals from ‘red list’ countries/territories).
In this period, more registered and processed tests were taken by people quarantining at home (185,460) than people quarantining in a managed quarantine hotel (21,392). Data relating to tests from private providers are not included in these figures.
Table 2: number of registered and processed PCR tests taken by people quarantining at home, England arrivals
| 26 Mar to 22 Apr: number of tests processed and registered | |
|---|---|
| Day 2 – quarantining at home (‘Amber list’ country / territory arrivals) | 100,938 |
| Day 8 – quarantining at home (‘Amber list’ country / territory arrivals) | 84,525 |
| Total registered tests processed (‘Amber list’ country / territory arrivals) | 185,463 |
This data can be found in the ‘table 2’ tab of the accompanying data tables.
Table 3: number of registered and processed PCR tests taken by people quarantining at a managed quarantine hotel, England arrivals
| 26 Mar to 22 Apr: number of tests processed and registered | |
|---|---|
| Day 2 – quarantining at a managed quarantine hotel (‘Red list’ country / territory arrivals) | 13,444 |
| Day 8 – quarantining at a managed quarantine hotel (‘Red list’ country / territory arrivals) | 7,948 |
| Total registered tests processed (’Red list’ country / territory arrivals) | 21,392 |
This data can be found in the ‘table 2’ tab of the accompanying data tables.
The total number of PCR tests processed for passengers in a hotel only includes the number of tests that have been correctly registered.
Evidence of negative tests or an extended stay following a positive test must be presented by passengers in hotels before they are able to leave.
An increase in passenger numbers in hotels following Pakistan moving to the red list on 9 April will be reflected in an increase in day 2 tests, but these passengers may not have had a day 8 test in the same reporting period.
The total number of PCR tests processed for passengers at home includes tests not registered to an individual. The full breakdown of tests registered and not registered across day 2 and day 8 for people quarantining at home (‘amber list’ countries/territories) can be found in ‘table 2’ of the accompanying data tables.
Please note that the true number of PCR tests processed will be higher than what has been reported as arrivals who are quarantining at home have the option to book their PCR tests via a private provider and these tests are not yet included in these figures.
Risk assessment status, testing, positivity and variants by country/territory
Countries/territories are risk assessed based on data from a number of sources to determine whether they should be added to the list of countries/territories requiring quarantine at a Managed Quarantine Hotel upon return (‘red list’ countries/territories), or at-home quarantining (‘amber list’ countries/territories). See the methodology for these decisions.
Testing international arrivals is designed to help identify any potentially harmful variants of COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity. Variants are designated a variant under investigation (VUI) if they are considered to have concerning epidemiological, immunological or pathogenic properties. Following a risk assessment with the relevant expert committee, they may be designated a variant of concern (VOC).
Passengers are asked to report their recent travel history when returning to the UK so that the number of positive test results taken while under managed quarantine, as well as the number of VOCs and VUIs sequenced from these positive tests, can be considered when assessing the risk of travel and whether countries/territories should be assigned to the red list. In this bulletin and the accompanying tables, the country/territory the passenger returned from is self-reported. In cases where a travel country/territory has not been reported, this is classified as ‘unknown’. In cases where multiple travel countries/territories are reported, this is categorised as ‘multiple unknown’.
Traveller positivity is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests by the total number of positive and negative tests processed. Variants (VOC/VUIs) detection rate is calculated by dividing the number of variants detected by the number of positive tests sequenced.
Data for risk assessment status, testing, positivity and variants by country/territory can be found in the ‘table 3’ tab of the accompanying data tables.
Methodology
Background and operational context
The purpose of the managed quarantine service is to reduce the risk of variants of concern (VOCs) arriving and spreading in the UK. Since 15 February 2021 onwards, everyone allowed to enter England from outside the Common Travel Area (Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) has been required to quarantine for 10 days and take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coronavirus test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of quarantining. Some travellers are exempt from mandatory quarantining and testing and therefore follow bespoke testing regimes. Under the traffic light framework set out on 9 April[footnote 5] (to take effect from 17 May 2021 at the earliest), those returning to England from ‘green list’ countries/territories will not be required to quarantine and will need only to take a PCR test on or before day 2 of their arrival.
People arriving in England who have visited or passed through a country/territory where travel to the UK is restricted (‘red list’ countries/territories) are required to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel. Only British or Irish Nationals, or people with residence rights in the UK, are allowed to do this: others are not permitted entry. People arriving from ‘amber list’ countries/territories are required to quarantine at home. For more details see guidance on entering the UK.
Designations of countries/territories are published by the Department for Transport and are reviewed on a regular basis. Therefore, they are subject to change and the data released will reflect the lists as they were on the date of release.
The data are up to date at the time of calculation and may be subject to revision in future releases.
Number of people quarantining
Individuals arriving in England from ‘red list’, ‘amber list’ and ‘green list’ countries/territories are required to book a travel test package and complete a passenger locator form which identifies whether they are quarantining at home or in a managed quarantine hotel or required to take a day 2 test. The number of travel test packages and hotel packages booked is used to calculate the number of people quarantining. The date of arrival and check-in is used as the start date of the quarantine period (day 0). As some travellers are exempt, this is not the same as the total number of people arriving into the country/territory.
Please note that international arrivals who are quarantining at home, or coming from a ‘green list’ country and require a day 2 test, have the option to book their PCR tests via a private provider and these bookings are not yet included in the figures in the publication. The true number of quarantine package bookings for ‘amber list’ and ‘green list’ arrivals is therefore likely to be higher than what has been reported.
People taking tests
When a person in quarantine receives their test kit, they are required to register the test kit barcode. As part of the NHS T&T registration they are asked to provide a reason for taking the test and have the option to select that they are quarantining at home or in a managed quarantine hotel. Because of the reliance on an individual selecting this option when registering, the number of registered and processed tests taken by those quarantining at home and in managed quarantine hotels may be undercounted in our figures.
Test kits correctly registered with a test reason of ‘isolation-testing-facility’ can be identified as relating to an individual quarantining at a managed quarantine hotel (passengers from ‘red list’ countries/territories).
Test kits with a test reason of ‘isolation-testing-home’ can be used to identify home quarantine tests (passengers from ‘amber list’ countries/territories). From 26 March 2021, all NHS T&T home test kits ordered by amber international arrivals (that is, those arriving from countries not on the red list) will have the sample identification barcode captured at the point of dispatch. This means that all amber arrivals’ test samples can be linked to the address it was sent to, further improving tracing.
The number of tests refers to the number of tests processed and registered and not the number of individuals tested, as people can have more than one test. Children under 5 years old are not required to take day 2 or day 8 tests so are not included in the results.
An individual could have multiple void tests before their first valid test. Any tests up to and including their first valid test are counted as day 2 tests. Any tests after this are counted as day 8 tests.
The number of tests registered and processed each week will not be the same as the number of people quarantining in that same week for several reasons:
- the cohort of people starting their quarantine will not be the same cohort of people who take their day 2 test in a given week. For example, people starting their quarantine towards the end of the week will have their day 2 tests fall into the following week
- there may be differences in the population quarantining and those who are required to take a test, for example children under 5 do not need to take a test
- passengers with a positive test on day 2 are not required to take a day 8 test
- correct completion and return of test data is required by the person taking the test to ensure that tests are correctly registered
Risk assessment status, testing, positivity and variants by country/territory
When passengers return from their country/territory of travel, they are asked to register the travel destination they are returning from. The recent travel destination provided is used to track several metrics by country/territory. This information, along with data from other sources, is used to determine whether a country/territory should be moved onto the list of countries/territories requiring quarantine at a managed quarantine hotel (‘red list’ countries/territory) or home quarantine (‘amber list’ countries/territories) upon return. See the methodology for these decisions.
Testing of international arrivals is designed to help identify any potentially harmful variants of COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity. Variants are designated a variant under investigation (VUI) if they are considered to have concerning epidemiological, immunological or pathogenic properties. Following a risk assessment with the relevant expert committee, they may be designated a variant of concern (VOC). The variants classified as a VOC/VUI may change over time and the tables in the accompanying data tables will reflect the VOC/VUI status at the point of publication.
In this bulletin and the accompanying tables, the country/territory the passenger returned from is self-reported and in cases where a travel destination has not been reported or multiple travel destinations are reported, it has been categorised as ‘unknown’.
‘Multiple unknown’: traveller positivity is calculated by dividing the number of positive tests by the total number of positive and negative tests processed. Variants (VOC/VUIs) detection rate is calculated by dividing the number of variants detected by the number of positive tests sequenced.
The methodology used in the identification of VOC/VUIs, positivity and tests is under further development.
Private tests
Since 11 March 2021, people quarantining at home (from non ‘red list’ countries/territories) have the option to use tests from private providers rather than the Test and Trace programme if they wish. This data is not currently included in the published figures.
Test to release
People quarantining in England at home (from ‘amber list’ countries/territories) can end their quarantine early through the test to release scheme[footnote 1]. This scheme is voluntary and lets people choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test after they have been in England for 5 full days. If the results of the test are negative, then quarantine can be ended. If they are positive, then quarantine should be extended for 10 days after taking the test. The private tests booked through this scheme are in addition to the day 2 and day 8 tests booked as part of the managed quarantine service.
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Some people are exempt from the need to quarantine due to their job. A list of these exemptions can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19): jobs that qualify for travel exemptions. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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From 1 January those with residence rights includes: holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain; holders of existing leave to enter or remain (that is, those with biometric residence permits) or an entry clearance/visa that grants such leave, including students, workers, etc (excluding visit visas); holders of EU Settlement Scheme (‘EUSS’) leave; those who have rights of entry under the Withdrawal Agreements (including returning residents with a right of residence under the EEA Regulations and EEA frontier workers); family members of EEA nationals with rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. ↩
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We use ‘home’ to refer to privately arranged accommodation, that is, not a managed hotel. Not everyone quarantining in this way will be in their own home. ↩
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Global Travel Taskforce sets out framework to safely reopen international travel ↩