Five Greek islands have been added to the government’s travel corridor list, meaning arrivals into the UK from those destinations no longer have to quarantine.
The islands added to the ‘safe list’ are Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Santorini and Zakynthos.
Changes to the restrictions come into force from 4am on Saturday, October 10.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps, who confirmed the additions via Twitter, said no countries would be removed from the corridors list this week.
He reminded holidaymakers to complete a Passenger Locator Form on entry into the UK.
TRAVEL CORRIDOR UPDATE: We are ADDING Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Santorini and Zakynthos to the #TravelCorridor list this week.
From 4am Saturday 10th Oct, if you arrive from those Greek islands, you will NO LONGER need to self-isolate.
We are not REMOVING any countries.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) October 8, 2020
The Foreign Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice shortly after Shapps’ announcement on Thursday evening to exempt the five islands from its blanket warning against all non-essential travel.
Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “Yet another week of intense speculation about which countries will be removed from the travel corridor list has ended with the government making an unexpected announcement and not removing any countries.
“This approach is confusing and costly, with speculation that their destination may be added to the quarantine list causing some travellers to needlessly cancel their trip, therefore losing their right to a refund. It is also making it impossible for the travel industry to operate.
“The government knows this and yet it continues to offer no clarity around how these decisions are made. If the government is serious about letting international travel resume while prioritising public health, a major reassessment of its approach is needed.”