Travellers returning from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic must self-isolate for 14 days from today (August 29).
The government’s latest quarantine measures came into force at 4am and follow the recent removal of Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago from the list, while Portugal was added after being deemed safe to visit.
The latest quarantine restrictions come as transport secretary Grant Shapps drops further hints in the media that the government could treat islands such as the Canaries differently. The whole of Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearics, are currently on the quarantine list.
Speaking yesterday (August 28), he told Radio 4’s Today programme he did accept “islands are potentially an area where you can distinguish” but stressed the government would have to work closely with local authorities to check the data was accurate while its priority had to be protecting the UK population from Covid-19. “We cannot see this return by re-importing it by people coming home from a break,” he said.
The industry has repeatedly called for a regional approach to travel corridors, with easyJet Holidays chief executive Garry Wilson recently saying travel to the Canaries this winter hinged on a review of the government’s current travel advice.