UK tourists scramble to return as rules change
British holidaymakers are again scrambling to return home to avoid quarantine, after Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago were removed from the country’s safe travel list.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that travellers from those countries would be required to self-isolate for 14 days on UK entry, with the restrictions coming into effect from Saturday morning (local time).
At the same time Portugal was given travel corridor status, meaning that Brits will not have to quarantine on their return to the UK from the country.
Prices for flights from nations on the list requiring quarantine on return rocketed following the announcement by Mr Shapps.
Figures released by Department for Transportindicate that the weekly incidence of cases per 100,000 for Croatia increased from 10.4 on August 12 to 27.4 on August 19, a 164% increase.
Over the same period, Trinidad and Tobago saw a 232% increase while Austria had a 93% increase.
In Scotland, travellers from Switzerland will also be required to quarantine for a fortnight on their return to the country.
Meanwhile a group of MPs urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to adopt a “zero-Covid” approach to tackling the virus.
In a letter to Mr Johnson, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus said the measure would “provide clarity and reassurance” to the public.
Group chairwoman, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, said: “The government has failed abysmally to put a clear strategy in place to eliminate coronavirus from the UK.
“The Prime Minister must get a grip and introduce a comprehensive plan to control this deadly pandemic before this winter.”
Mr Johnson is currently holidaying in Scotland with his fiancee, Carrie Symonds.
The Prime Minister did not return from his holiday last week when exams chaos erupted after thousands of pupils had their results downgraded.
-PA