COVID-19: Mainland Greece placed on quarantine list – Iceland and UAE taken off
Written by News on 12/11/2020
Travellers returning to the UK from mainland Greece will have to self-isolate for two weeks from 4am this Saturday.
Only the islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos maintain their exemption from quarantine requirements.
Several countries have been taken off the UK’s quarantine list, so travellers will not have to self-isolate for two weeks upon arrival in the UK as of 4am on Saturday.
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They are: UAE, Qatar, Turks and Caicos, Iceland, Laos, Cambodia, Chile and Bahrain.
These nations have also been added to the list of exempt countries for travellers returning to Wales.
A travel ban on Denmark will be extended for a further 14 days. It follows the discovery of a mutated strain of COVID-19 in mink farms, leading to concerns about the development of future vaccines.
International travel from England has been banned since 5 November when the country was placed under a national lockdown, although travel for work is allowed.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps gave a further update, tweeting: “The travel ban on DENMARK will also be EXTENDED for a further 14 days.
“A reminder that under the current restrictions, travel outside of the home, with the exception of a limited number of reasons including work or education, is not permitted.
“Latest data also means we have to REMOVE all of GREECE apart from Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos from the #TravelCorridor list.
“From 4am Saturday 14th November, if you arrive into the UK from this destination you will need to self-isolate.”
Greece has seen a steep rise in coronavirus cases over the past fortnight and was placed under a national lockdown on 7 November, with measures including a ban on travelling between different parts of the country and only a driver and one passenger allowed in all cars and taxis.
According to government data there has been a consistent increase in newly reported cases in Greece over the past 2 weeks with a 136% increase to 16,429 cases between 5-12 November from 6,965 between 22-29 October.
The government said the Greek islands of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Zakynthos and Kos had not seen: “as significant a growth” in cases over recent weeks.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultants The PC Agency, said the additions to the travel corridors list were “a highly significant decision and a major boost to opening up long-haul travel from the UK again”.
He went on: “Unlocking Gulf hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar enables UK travellers to reach most corners of the world to the east and south. Chile also opens up South America.
“These moves show that the Government is serious about connecting the UK to the world again despite the pandemic.”
The Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said they would be banning planes and ships coming directly from Denmark from landing or docking in Wales.
(c) Sky News 2020: COVID-19: Mainland Greece placed on quarantine list – Iceland and UAE taken off
