Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced last week that Portugal has been added to the UK’s travel corridor list, but Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago have been removed.
Further changes to UK quarantine list
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced last week that Portugal has been added to the UK’s travel corridor list, but Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago have been removed.
People arriving in the UK from Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago will now need to self-isolate for 14 days. According to the Croatian Tourist Board, there were 17,000 British tourists in Croatia when the news broke. Media outlets report that Croatian ambassador to the UK, Igor Pokaz, said the spikes in Croatia were in specific regions including the capital, Zagreb, but there were very few cases in other popular areas. Pokaz urged the UK government to take a "more nuanced approach" to quarantine.
In a reversal of fortunes, the former front-runner expected to make the UK’s quarantine-free list has finally been added. Portugal was a notable absence when the original list was released but UK holidaymakers returning home from Portugal will now no longer need to self-isolate. The Portuguese government welcomed the changes – more than two million UK holidaymakers travel to Portugal each year.
The latest updates come just a week after thousands of British holidaymakers attempted to rush home from France before the quarantine measures came into effect. A fine of up to £1000 will apply to those who do not self-isolate when required in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.