Israel and Sri Lanka added to quarantine free travel corridors list
Israel and Sri Lanka are among nine countries to have been added to the UK’s travel corridor list, meaning that people can travel to them without quarantining on return.
The other countries added to the list are Namibia, Rwanda, Uruguay, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.
It is the first time destinations in Africa have been given a travel corridor from the UK Government.
The latest additions come after eight countries were given travel corridors last week.
From Saturday morning, anyone arriving from those countries will not have to self-isolate.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced the changes to the travel corridor list on Twitter. No countries were removed.
Although international leisure travel is currently banned as part of the new national lockdown, the additions raise hopes that people will be able to get some much needed winter sun over the Christmas period.
Testing breakthrough?
Officials have been in discussions today about plans to reduce the time for which returning travellers have to quarantine to coincide with the lifting of restrictions on 2 December.
An announcement is expected within the next weeks, with reports that the new measures will cut the self-isolation period in half.
It is believed that the new system will see travellers self-isolate for five days, and then take a test to see if they have the virus.
The travel industry has been pushing hard for ministers to cut the quarantine period and bring in more travel corridors in the hopes of rescuing some business over the holiday period.
This week low-cost carrier Easyjet reported its first ever yearly loss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and most airlines have fared little better.