Thousands of hotel rooms are being block-booked by the [UK] government hours after it confirmed quarantine rules related to Covid variant hotspots will begin on 15 February. Ministers plan for more than 1,000 UK residents a day to return from places where new variants are prevalent. Those arrivals must pay to stay in a hotel for 10 nights, with security accompanying them if they go outside. Labour accused ministers of "putting lives at risk" by not acting sooner.