Travelers arriving in Britain from high-risk COVID-19 countries will have to quarantine for 10 days in government-provided accommodation to stop the spread of new variants of the virus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday.

"We will require all such arrivals who cannot  be refused entry to isolate in government provided accommodation, such as hotels, for 10 days without exception," Johnson told lawmakers.

"They will be met at the airport and transported directly into quarantine."

Johnson also said it would not be possible to reopen schools in February, but that he hoped the vaccination program would allow them to do it beginning March 8.

(With input from Reuters)