UK government set to end 14-day coronavirus quarantine for travellers

The British government says it will lift its two-week coronavirus quarantine rule for visitors arriving from countries such as France, Greece and Spain.

"Our new risk-assessment system will enable us to carefully open a number of safe travel routes around the world," a UK government spokesman said.

A list of the countries from where people will be allowed to enter Britain without needing to self-isolate for 14 days will be published on 6 July, the spokesman added.

Boris Johnson's administration introduced its quarantine regime for most travellers arriving in the country on 8 June. Interior minister Priti Patel said the policy would be reviewed every three weeks.

The government says by using factors such as the spread of the virus and the reliability of data, it has created a rating system for countries of green, amber and red.

Rethink
Countries in the green and amber categories, says the government, are considered to have a low risk and their citizens can enter  Britain.

However, all travellers will be required by law to wear face coverings on planes and ferries, it added. The rules also applied to any Britons who had left the country and were returning.

Since Patel announced the clampdown, Britain has faced criticism and  and legal challenges from airlines as well as from others in the travel industry who have argued the policy will devastate the domestic tourism sector in a country with more than 43,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

The government maintains the new measures will be kept under constant review and quarantine rules could be reintroduced for individual countries if their situation changes.

"We will not hesitate to put on the brakes if any risks re-emerge," added the government spokesman.

"This system will enable us to take swift action to re-introduce self-isolation measures if new outbreaks occur overseas."