LONDON: The UK will remove all remaining countries from the travel corridor from Monday, December 18. Prime Minister Boris Johnson used this afternoon’s Downing Street briefing to announce all corridors will be temporarily closed as the government battles to contain new variants of Covid.
It will apply across the UK from 4am Monday.
It means anyone entering the UK from any country will have to quarantine for 10 days on arrival, in addition to presenting a negative Covid test.
Incoming passengers will still have the test-to-release option where they can take a test after five days to release themselves from quarantine early.
Johnson said enforcement at the borders will also be stepped up.
The government has already banned travellers from South America and Portugal following the emergence of a worrying strain of Covid in Brazil.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: “Travel Corridors assess public health risk from the original SARS-COV-2, but it’s impossible for the Joint Biosecurity Centre to provide live scientific updates to predict which countries or regions will now originate new variants. Travel Corridors are therefore suspended for now.”
He added: “There will be more enforcement checks & fewer exemptions. International arrivals will need to have a negative COVID-19 test & self-isolate for 10 days or Test to Release after 5. This action will slow the spread of new variants whilst millions receive their vaccinations.”
