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Analysis of UK quarantine regulations by Dr Tom Hickman QC featured in Financial Times video

12 June 2020

In a video called ‘Opinion: a guided tour of UK quarantine law’, David Allen Green draws upon Dr Hickman’s analysis of UK quarantine regulations.

Tom Hickman

David Allen Green (Legal commentator for the Financial Times) shares his opinion on the UK coronavirus quarantine law, which he believes is effectively house arrest and impossible to enforce.

The video draws upon analysis of the regulations by Dr Tom Hickman QC (Reader in Public Law at UCL Laws), where Dr Hickman explains how the rules impose more restrictions on liberty than the former coronavirus regulations, as the newer regulations only permit leaving the house in “exceptional circumstances” (e.g. for essential food and medical supplies if they are unable to obtain them through other ways).

The analysis and video illustrate how the rules are criminal law, and are backed by criminal sanctions; but mention an extensive list of people who are exempt, such as those who require weekly travel to the UK or to countries outside the UK for work.

You can watch the video on ‘Opinion: a guided tour of UK quarantine law’ on the Financial Times website now (discussion of the analysis by Dr Hickman starts at approximately 2:39).

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