UK government removes three destinations from travel corridors list

People arriving into England from Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago and Austria as of 22 August 2020 will be required to self-isolate for two weeks following the UK government announcing that the countries are being removed from the travel corridors list.

Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all three destinations, resulting in ministers making the decision to remove these destinations from the current list of travel exemptions.

The weekly incidence (cases) per 100,000 for Croatia has increased from 10.4 on 12 August 2020 to 27.4 on 19 August 2020, representing a 164 per cent increase. There has been a consistent increase in the weekly incidence rate of COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago over the past four weeks, with a 232 per cent increase in weekly incidence per 100,000 between the same time frame. In Austria, the weekly incidence per 100,000 of the population has increased from 10.5 on 13 August 2020 to 20.3 on 20 August 2020, which is a 93 per cent increase.

As a result, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago and Austria. However, Portugal has been added to the list of destinations that are exempted from the FCO’s global advisory against non-essential travel.

Portugal has been added to the UK government’s travel corridor list following a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus. Passengers arriving in England from Portugal as of 22 August 2020 will not need to self-isolate as long as they haven’t been in or transited through any other non-exempt countries in the 14 days preceding their arrival in England. 

Infections from COVID-19 are on the rise across Europe. The UK government has made it consistently clear that it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, which includes removing countries from the travel corridors list rapidly if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high.

This means that holidaymakers may find that they need to self isolate for 14 days on return to the UK and are advised to consider the implications of self-isolation on them and their families before making travel plans.

People currently in Croatia, Trinidad and Tobago and Austria are encouraged to follow the local rules and check the FCO travel advice pages for further information. The government is urging employers to be understanding of those returning from these destinations who will now need to self-isolate.