Travel quarantine: Germany and Sweden in line to be added to ‘red list’
Germany and Sweden could be added to the UK’s travel quarantine list this afternoon, with both reporting rising numbers of new coronavirus cases.
The two countries are among the last places in Europe to which travellers can go without needing to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to the UK.
However, both are now reporting almost three times the rate of cases per 100,000 over a seven day period than the government has been allowing as one of its criteria for implementing restrictions.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said that any country reporting more than 20 cases per 100,000 over a week-long period would be in line to be added to the list.
According to figures from the PC Agency, Germany has recorded 61.2 cases in that timescale, while Sweden is at 56.0.
By contrast, when Italy was added to the quarantine list last week, it was reporting 64.4 cases per 100,000 over seven days.
If the two are added, only Greece – apart from the island Mykonos – and Liechtenstein remain totally without restriction, with some governments across Europe having put in place their own entry restrictions.
Earlier today German authorities confirmed that all those travelling from the UK to Germany would have to quarantine for 14 days or until they can show evidence of a negative test result.
However, there were hopes that Jamaica might be taken off the “red list” as cases dropped to 15.8 per 100,000.
Shapps is due to announce updates to the list later this afternoon.
The announcement comes after earlier this week the first pre-departure coronavirus testing facility in the UK was unveiled at Heathrow Airport.
Set up by Swissport and Collinson, the site will first offer tests to those travelling to Italy and Hong Kong for £80. Results will be provided in one hour, the companies said.
The firms have also set up a testing centre for arrivals at the same airport, but the government has not yet approved the facility.
Ministers have argued that airport testing on arrival only identifies seven per cent of infections, and thus have been loathed to put in place a full-scale airport testing system like Germany or Italy.
Instead, they are working on a model which will cut the time people have to quarantine for in half. Shapps said this week that there are plans to roll out the system by 1 December.
However, a new study emerged overnight calling the seven per cent question into figure. Research from Oxera and Edge Health said that Public Health England’s methodology for coming up with the figure was flawed.
They contend that 63 per cent of infections would actually be identified by a testing system on arrival. Aviation bodies like IATA called on the government to look into the study.