Thailand and Singapore have been added to the government’s ‘safe lists’, transport secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed via Twitter.
Slovenia and Guadeloupe have been removed from the lists following a rise in infection rates.
Shapps said: “Latest data shows we need to remove Slovenia and Guadeloupe from the Travel Corridor list to keep everyone safe. This means if you arrive in the UK from these destinations after 4am Saturday, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
“Separately, we will be adding Singapore and Thailand to the Travel Corridor list. Please check before you travel as both countries may have extra requirements before entering.”
He added: “A reminder that travellers to the UK (from ANY location) MUST complete a Passenger Locator Form by law. This is vital in protecting public health & ensuring those who need to are complying with self-isolation rules.”
But Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “While the government characterises these as travel corridors, the addition of Thailand and Singapore won’t make any difference to most travellers as a vast majority of UK residents still can’t gain entry to either destinations.
“It’s an inaccurate term, and may lead to some people purchasing flights only to find themselves barred from boarding at the airport and with no right to a refund.
“It’s clear we are going to continue for some period with countries being added and removed from these lists.
Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Due-Said said: “With the ongoing changes to the list of travel corridors, we want to ensure our members have all the tools to help them and their clients navigate their way through these utterly confusing quarantine rules and additional Covid-19 entry requirements.
“Previously the Traffic Light list which we started producing in July as part of our Covid toolkit contained one single list, however, now that Scotland and Wales have implemented their own quarantine measures on certain destinations – which only adds to the confusion – we have created separate versions for our members in different parts of the UK.
“With seven Greek Islands now being exempt, it is a minefield for travel agents and customers alike to decipher where they can go and what is required of them before they travel, so we hope this helps to provide some clarity during these difficult times.”
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 17, 2020