Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Jamaica are to be removed from the UK’s travel corridor list, meaning arrivals from those countries will have to quarantine for two weeks, it has been confirmed.
The Guardian earlier revealed that ministers in Westminster had agreed to take Switzerland and Jamaica off the safe list amid rising Covid-19 infection rates, and were waiting to see the latest figures for the Czech Republic before making a final call. They have now decided to remove it too. Cuba, where the situation has improved, is being added to the corridor list in the changes, which will come into effect on Saturday at 4am.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, confirmed the move in a series of tweets on Thursday, warning that quarantining on arrival from countries not on the corridor list is a legal requirement and that rule-breakers risk being fined and receiving a criminal record.
Data shows we need to remove the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from our list of #Coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN. If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 27, 2020
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Jamaica.
Scotland, which along with the other devolved nations has autonomy over quarantine measures and moved to remove Switzerland from its list last week, is also removing the Czech Republic and Jamaica and adding Cuba. Wales and Northern Ireland are making the same changes as England.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said data from the joint biosecurity centre and Public Health England had indicated a “significant change in both the level and pace” of confirmed Covid cases in the countries, prompting ministers to act.
In Switzerland, there has been a consistent rise over the past four weeks, with a 19% increase in weekly cases per 100,000 people – a key indicator used by Whitehall officials – from 18.5 on 20 August to 22 on 27 August. Explaining how decisions were made on travel corridors, Shapps said in a tweet: “A lead indicator is 20 cases per 100k over 7 days but they take into account a wide range of factors, including level, rate and speed of change in confirmed cases.”
There has been a consistent rise in new cases in the Czech Republic over the past three weeks, with a 25% increase between 14 August and 20 August, from 1,723 to 2,153. In Jamaica, weekly cases per 100,000 have increased from 4.3 on 20 August to 20.8 on 27 August – representing a 382% rise.
The Scottish justice secretary, Humza Yousaf, said: “It is important to remember that we remain in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly. With Scotland’s relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from abroad remains a significant risk to public health.”
The developments are welcome news for holidaymakers with trips booked next week to Greece, a popular destination for UK tourists, which stays on the UK’s corridor list for now although there is concern about imported cases from tourist hotspots in the country, including the island of Mykonos. Gibraltar, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Turkey are understood to be among other areas being closely monitored by officials.
The UK’s two most popular holiday destinations, France and Spain, have been among a series of countries removed from the travel corridor in recent weeks amid rising Covid cases.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that plans are under discussion that would enable UK travellers to fly to New York – which currently has lower infection rates than the UK – without having to quarantine on their return from this autumn, according to an industry figure.
Paul Charles, the chief executive of the travel PR firm PC Agency, said he had been told that DfT officials had held initial discussions with the US Department of Transportation about opening a travel corridor to New York. Charles called the talks of a corridor “positive”, adding: “That is vital, it is one of the busiest areas in the world.”
A spokesperson for the DfT said: “Conversations between governments in other countries on a whole range of issues take place regularly.
“Public health remains the UK’s top priority and we are committed to tackling this virus while enabling a sustainable and responsible return to international travel. We keep the data for all countries and territories under constant review.”
