HOTELS near Gatwick airport are expected to be booked up for Covid quarantine as passengers arriving into the country are forced to self-isolate.

The government is attempting to reduce the spread of new strains of Covid-19, and arrivals from countries which are hotspots for these variants will have to stay in a hotel for 10 nights.

Scientists believe the new variants, first identified in South Africa and Brazil, may be more infectious and could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

The rules include UK residents and Irish nationals travelling from 33 countries on the "red list".

It means hotels near Gatwick, the second biggest airport in the UK, are expected to be booked up for quarantine.

According to the BBC, the government is working "at pace" to secure the rooms it needs, with discussions held with more than 60 companies.

The Argus: The rules affect UK residents and Irish nationals travelling from 33 countries on the "red list"The rules affect UK residents and Irish nationals travelling from 33 countries on the "red list"

Foreign office minister James Cleverly told the BBC: "I don't have that detail at my fingertips.

"The announcement only came out at one minute past midnight this morning so it is unsurprising that no one has formally signed up to this.

"But the whole point of this is that we give the hotels notice.

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"We're planning for capacity greater than the expected numbers of people arriving from those countries.

Quarantined travellers will be served three meals a day in their rooms, with hot and cold options.

According to documents seen by the BBC, hotels will also be required to work with government approved security staff to stop any unauthorised access.