Island countries added to quarantine free travel corridors list and ban on Denmark lifted
A raft of new countries have been added to the UK’s travel corridors list, but holidaymakers may be hard pressed to get to some of them.
The new destinations include Bhutan, Timor-Leste, Mongolia, Aruba, and a number of Pacific Islands including Samoa and Tonga.
People arriving from the above from Saturday morning will no longer have to self-isolate.
However, none of the 10 new nations added currently allow for British tourists.
The total ban on travel to Denmark, which was imposed after a massive outbreak in coronavirus cases at mink farms, has also been lifted, but the country remains off the travel corridor list.
In addition, Estonia and Latvia will be taken off the quarantine free list after a surge in cases.
From Wednesday, people will once again be allowed to travel overseas for holidays after international leisure travel was banned during the second national lockdown.
Unlike with domestic travel, people will be able to go on an overseas holiday regardless of the tier that they find themselves in under the government’s new restrictions.
But ministers are urging people only to travel overseas where it is necessary.
In the last couple of weeks, ministers have added more than dozen countries to the travel corridors “green list”, including Sri Lanka, Israel, Iceland, and a number of Caribbean islands.
However, most of mainland Europe remains on the red list, meaning that people still have to quarantine for 14 days on return to England.
But this will change from 15 December, when the government’s new “test to release” system kicks in.
Under the new policy, those who wish to can pay to take a private coronavirus test on the fifth day after they arrive back in the country, and will be free to leave quarantine if the test comes back negative.
The private tests are expected to cost travellers between £65 and £130.
The changes mean that it will be easier for people to travel to see relatives in “red listed” countries over the Christmas period, regardless of whether they are on the quarantine free list or not.
As a result of the change in restrictions, airlines have seen a sudden surge in demand for flights, with Easyjet today reporting that searches for flights were up 200 per cent this week.