The Canary Islands have been removed from the UK government’s list of travel corridors.
The Spanish archipelago was granted corridor status in October, which immediately drove an uptick in bookings for the trade for future travel.
From 4am this Saturday (December 12), they will no longer be on the list of destinations exempt from quarantine measures, meaning those arriving in the UK from the Canaries will be subject to 14 days self-isolation.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps tweeted confirmation and followed up to say that Botswana and Saudi Arabia have been added to the list of travel corridor destinations, meaning arrivals from those countries will no longer have to self-isolate.
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The UK’s ‘test to release’ scheme is due to begin on December 15, which allows for arrivals into the UK to be released from quarantine if they receive a negative result from a test taken on their fifth day after arrival.
It is yet to be confirmed which tests the UK government will accept for its ‘test to release’ scheme, but it insists on a 97% sensitivity rate.
This week, the Canary Islands ruled that it would accept antigen tests as proof visitors are Covid-free. They are considered less effective in diagnosing Covid than PCR tests, which are typically more expensive and take longer as they require lab analysis. PCR tests meet the 97% sensitivity criteria.
Data indicates weekly cases and positive tests are increasing in the CANARY ISLANDS and so we are REMOVING them from the #TravelCorridor list to reduce the risk of importing COVID-19. From 4am Sat 12 Dec, if you arrive from these islands you WILL need to self-isolate.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) December 10, 2020
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