Coronavirus: What are the UK travel quarantine rules?

We are now in the midst of the holiday season and families are either going on holiday or coming back. However, there are a few places on the government list that require you to quarantine when you arrive back in the Uk. 

First here’s a list of countries and territories exempt from advice against ‘all but essential’ international travel:

Europe

Austria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France (overseas territories of France are listed separately, where included in the exemption)

Germany

Gibraltar

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Malta

Monaco

The Netherlands (constituent countries and special municipalities located in the Dutch Caribbean are listed separately)

Norway

Poland

Portugal (only The Azores and Madeira)

San Marino

Slovakia

Slovenia

Switzerland

Turkey

Americas

Antigua & Barbuda

Aruba

Barbados

Bermuda

Canada

Cayman Islands

Cuba

Curaçao

Dominica

Falkland Islands

Grenada

Guadeloupe

Jamaica

Martinique

South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands

St Kitts and Nevis

St Lucia

St Maarten

St Martin and St Barthélemy

St Pierre and Miquelon

St Vincent and The Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Turks and Caicos Islands

Asia-Pacific

Australia

British Indian Ocean Territory

Brunei

Cambodia

Cook Islands

Fiji

French Polynesia

Hong Kong

Japan

Laos

Macao

Malaysia

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Samoa

Singapore

South Korea

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Thailand

Vietnam

Wallis and Futuna

Africa

Reunion

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Antarctica

British Antarctic Territory

Countries or territories removed from the exempt list

The following countries were removed from the travel corridor list 4am, Saturday 8 August 2020:

• Andorra
• The Bahamas
• Belgium

If you arrive in England from Andorra, The Bahamas or Belgium on or after 4am, 8th August you will need to self-isolate.

As you may or may not know, People arriving in the UK from Spain and Luxembourg were recently told they also have to self-isolate. This is because virus levels have spiked quite considerably in certain pockets of each country.

What are the quarantine rules?

Since the start of June, the government ruled that anyone entering the UK were to self-isolate for 14 days to help contain any coronavirus cases from overseas. A month later the published a report outlining a list of “low risk countries”.

If people are returning for  high risk countries, then then they are required to fill out a form a self-isolate for 14 days. If they fail to comply and don’t fill this form in, then they a liable of a fine of £100. Those that fail to comply with the quarantine will be fined up to £1000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and £480 in Scotland. There are fines up to £5,000 for persistent offenders.

So, if you’re planning on going away, please make sure you follow the rules to the letter. Otherwise you risk quite a heavy fine.

Apparently, it’s recommended that passengers should drive their own car to their destinations where possible. But, if they fail to provide an address, then the government may arrange accommodation at the travellers expense.

Once you have arrived at your destination, they recommend not using public transport like buses and taxis during the quarantine period.

Passengers should drive their own car to their destination if possible. If they don't provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller's expense.

If you are returning back from overseas just remember that you won’t automatically be eligible for statutory sick pay during this period, unless they meet the required conditions. 

Which workers are exempt from quarantine?

I bet you didn’t know that there were some workers who are exempt from quarantine?

Those include:

* Haulers or those working in trucking and also freight workers.

* Those who are healthcare workers or providing essential care services

* Seasonal or agricultural workers, but only if they self-isolate where they working

* UK residents that regularly travel overseas at least once a week for work.

Do other countries have quarantine rules?

Of course, we’ve spoken about people entering and returning to the UK. What about other countries? You may even have to quarantine depending on which country you are visiting.

* New Zealand isn’t messing around. Their borders are closed to all foreign travellers.

* Australia requires a separate visa and you will be in quarantine for 14 days.

* South Korea requires both testing and isolation for 14 days.

* Iceland require you to either pay for a test or quarantine

* UK travellers have been barred from entering Japan if you were previously here 14 days ago.

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