- Title: UK ditches quarantine for arrivals from low COVID-19 risk countries
- Date: 27th June 2020
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE) (REUTERS) PLANE TAKING OFF FROM HEATHROW AIRPORT
- Embargoed: 11th July 2020 07:56
- Keywords: Quarantine coronavirus covid-19 holidays
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ ORLY, FRANCE/ PARIS, FRANCE/ PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN/ ATHENS AND SANTORINI, GREECE
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM/ ORLY, FRANCE/ PARIS, FRANCE/ PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN/ ATHENS AND SANTORINI, GREECE
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001CK5AHJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Britain will drop a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries it deems to be lower risk for COVID-19, the government said on Friday (June 26).
Official travel advice against all but essential travel outside Britain will also be eased for some countries and regions, making it easier for Britons to travel abroad for summer holidays.
The relaxations are the latest taken by the government to unwind emergency measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, as ministers look to limit the economic damage caused by the virus.
An expert panel will put nations into three categories: green, amber and red. Passengers arriving from green and amber countries will no longer have to quarantine themselves for 14 days after their arrival.
A government spokeswoman said a new risk-assessment system would allow cautious opening of travel routes but would take steps if problems emerged.
The rules for red-category countries will not change.
The quarantine policy, introduced on June 8, has been heavily criticised by airlines, airports and the hospitality sector who say it deters international travel at a time when they had been hoping for it to recover.
The categories are due to be announced next week, with the rule changes expected to come into effect the week after. They will be based on factors including prevalence of COVID-19, the trajectory of the disease and the reliability of data.
Britain said it is likely to discuss this with countries including France, Greece and Spain.
The Foreign Office will next week announce those countries where it considers the public health risk is no longer unacceptably high.
(Production: Roberto Esparza) - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
