Denmark, Slovakia, Iceland and Curacao added to UK quarantine list, Grant Shapps announces

Another four countries have been removed from the Government’s quarantine exemption list, meaning UK travellers will have to self-isolate for 14 days on their return.

The new rules, which come into force at 4am on Saturday, apply to Denmark, Slovakia, Iceland and the Caribbean island of Curacao.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the restrictions had been imposed as a result of rising coronavirus cases. No destinations have been added to list of travel corridors.

The Department for Transport said the decision covers the whole of the UK and has been agreed with the devolved administrations.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Shapps warned the public that they faced fines if they did not follow the new rules.

“Data shows we need to remove Denmark, Slovakia, Iceland, and Curacao from the Travel Corridor list," he said.

"If you arrive in the UK from these destinations after 4am this Saturday, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

“We will not be adding any destinations to the Travel Corridor list this week. Remember: You MUST complete a Passenger Locator Form by law if you enter the UK. This protects public health and ensures those who need to are complying with self-isolation rules.

“Also please don’t forget that you MUST self-isolate (quarantine) when returning from a non-exempt country, or face fines which start at £1,000.”

Denmark is currently recording a seven-day rate of 65.2 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, up from 33.8 a week ago.

A rate of 20 is the threshold above which the Government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Iceland and Slovakia have rates of 80.4 and 25.9 respectively, while Curacao is on 66.7. The rate in the UK is 47.3.

The figures have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

The travel industry has been badly hit by quarantine restrictions.

It has called on the Government to allow coronavirus testing at airports to reduce self-isolation periods for those who get a negative result.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “It’s sad to see the list of countries growing on the quarantine list in line with the resurgence of Covid-19 in several parts of the world.

“It now makes even more sense for traveller testing to be introduced as soon as possible, reducing quarantine times and enabling economies to get going again.

“A co-ordinated global programme, combining testing with short quarantine periods if necessary, would help protect lives and livelihoods.”

Previously holidaymakers were left facing exorbitant last minute ticket fees after countries were removed from the list while they were already abroad. Mr Shapps was even forced to remove Portugal from the exemption list while he was holidaying there.

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