Holiday quarantine: Which countries are exempt and could future changes affect my booking?
21 August 2020, 12:21
Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago are the latest countries to be removed from the coronavirus safe travel list.
People arriving from those places after 4am on August 22 will have to self-isolate for 14 days after landing in the UK.
Meanwhile, Portugal has had its travel corridor restored, meaning that Brits will not have to quarantine on their return to the UK from the country.
But which other countries are on the list, and what happens if a country you have booked to visit has its travel corridor removed?
Grant Shapps' warns travellers more quarantines will be introduced
Which countries are on the quarantine list?
From 4am on Saturday, anyone returning from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago will have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Last week, France, the Netherlands, Monaco, Aruba and Turks and Caicos Islands were added to the list.
Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas have also had their air corridor removed, meaning travellers returning to the UK must self-isolate.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said people travelling anywhere abroad this summer should keep their "eyes open" to the prospect of having to quarantine on return, pointing to his own experience of having been "caught out" when Spain was removed from the safe travel list while he was in the country last month.
Two-week quarantine rules for all UK arrivals came into force on June 8 to tackle the spread of coronavirus, with a number of countries added to and removed from the safe list - meaning self-isolation is not required - as the weeks have gone by.
Simon Calder on your rights if you have a holiday planned to Spain
Why were the latest countries added to the list?
Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) indicate the weekly Covid-19 incidence (cases) per 100,000 for Croatia increased from 10.4 on August 12 to 27.4 on August 19, a 164% rise.
Over the same period, Trinidad and Tobago saw a 232% increase, while Austria had a 93% rise between August 13 and August 20.
By comparison, the UK recorded 11.5 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 16.
Do I need to self-isolate?
Anyone returning to the UK from a country on the Foreign Office quarantine list is required to self-isolate for 14 days.
It applies to people returning to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the addition of Switzerland applies to people in Scotland.
Countries added to 14-day UK quarantine list
I've got a holiday booked to a country which has been added to the quarantine list, will I get a refund?
The FCO advises British nationals against "all but essential travel" to the countries on the quarantine list.
When Spain was added to the quarantine list, LBC's Nick Ferrari asked the Independent's Travel Editor Simon Calder if people could get their money back if they chose not to travel.
He revealed a very mixed picture, with some travel companies offering refunds, while others offered vouchers.
Mr Calder said Tui "were very quick to say they understood people may not want to spend two weeks in quarantine, so therefore, if you are booked in the next two weeks, they will give you a full refund."
But other airlines, such as Ryanair, are saying "'Use it or lose it.'Your seat is there, if you don't want to use it, then that's just tough, we're keeping your money.'"
James O'Brien shuts down caller who refuses to quarantine after holiday
I've got a holiday booked to a country which is currently exempt, do I need to do anything?
People should continue to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice and their insurance policies before embarking on any overseas travel.
Ministers had previously warned that travel corridors could be closed if coronavirus rates escalated in other nations.
Travellers, even those from exempt destinations, are still required to complete a passenger locator form when they arrive in the UK.
Which countries are exempt from quarantine?
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Barbados
Bermuda
Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cayman Islands
the Channel Islands
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
French Polynesia
Gibraltar
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
the Isle of Man
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Macao (Macau)
Malaysia
Mauritius
Montserrat
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
Poland
Portugal (after 4am August 22)
Reunion
San Marino
Seychelles
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
St Barthélemy
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Switzerland
Taiwan
Turkey
Vatican City State
Vietnam
