Coronavirus: Full list of countries exempt from COVID-19 travel quarantine revealed

A full list of the countries exempt from England’s coronavirus travel quarantine has been released by the government.

The list includes more than 70 countries and territories where holidaymakers can visit without self-isolating for 14 days on their return to England.

Fourteen British Overseas Territories are also included, with Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man already exempt.

Among the countries not on the list are the US, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China.

The exemptions will apply from 10 July.

The Department for Transport said the approved destinations pose “a reduced risk to the public health of UK citizens”, but the list will be kept “under constant review”.

It has indicated that reciprocal arrangements between England and overseas nations have not been confirmed.

It is Downing Street’s “expectation” that a number of exempted countries will also not require arrivals from the UK to self-isolate.

Officials “continue to work closely with international partners around the world to discuss arrangements for travellers arriving from the UK,” the government has said.

However, some of the countries on the list are not allowing tourists.

Australia and New Zealand are open only to their own citizens or permanent residents, for example. Another example, Vietnam, is only open to Vietnamese nationals, foreigners on diplomatic or official business, and highly skilled workers.

Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: “Labour, like families and businesses up and down the country, are keen for the government’s quarantine measures to be lessened, but this is a mess.

“First we had the quarantine that they were slow to implement, then they said they’d do air bridges.

“Now we see a plan to let residents of 60 or more countries into England without any reciprocal arrangements.”

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will “set out their own approach” to exemptions, the Department for Transport has said.

The first ministers of Wales and Scotland have criticised the UK government’s “shambolic” handling of its coronavirus travel quarantine.

In a tweet, the Portuguese foreign affairs minister said it was “absurd” that Portugal had been left off the new list despite the UK having 28 times more deaths related to coronavirus.

Portugal’s prime minister Antonio Costa tweeted a graph appearing to show the UK had a much higher number of cases per 100,000 population than the Algarve, adding: “Which is the safest place to stay? You are welcome to spend a safe holiday in Algarve!”

And the UK government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance hinted that the earlier quarantine imposed on travellers to England was not supported by scientific evidence.

He said: “Our advice has been clear that quarantine makes most sense and can be used effectively when people are coming from countries with higher infection rates than the ones we have here.

“That’s where quarantine is a measure that would make a difference.”

The full list is as follows:

• Andorra
• Antigua and Bermuda
• Aruba
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• Croatia
• Curaçao
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Faroe Islands
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• French Polynesia
• Germany
• Greece
• Greenland
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Poland
• Reunion
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• South Korea
• Spain
• St Barthelemy
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Pierre and Miquelon
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkey
• Vatican City
• Vietnam

The Foreign Office has also revealed which countries will be exempt from its advice against all but “non-essential travel”.

This will mean that people can travel to a number of destinations overseas with regular travel insurance policies.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Full list of countries exempt from COVID-19 travel quarantine revealed