I know many people have been impacted by the recent removal of Spain from the list of quarantine-exempt countries for returning travellers to England. This decision was taken on the basis of evidence from the Spanish Health Ministry, and following a risk assessment by Public Health England (PHE) and the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC). The health of the UK public is our Government’s top priority, and though these changes are frustrating for those affected, it remains the case that action must be taken to contain and prevent the spread of coronavirus wherever possible.
Guidance from the Department for Transport states that:
'The Government keeps the conditions in all countries and territories under review. If they change or worsen we will not hesitate to amend or re-introduce self-isolation requirements. With regards to Spain, new data from the Spanish Health Ministry was published on 24 July 2020 showing that new cases of COVID-19 were 75% higher than those reported on the previous two days. This pace of increase, together with the high seven-day case rate for Spain and the picture of increasing cases across most regions, represented a significant change. In response, the JBC together with PHE updated their COVID-19 assessments of Spain based on the latest data. As a result, the Government decided to remove Spain from the list of countries from which passengers arriving in England are exempted from the need to self-isolate, to protect the health of the UK public.'
If you are planning to travel abroad, please do check www.gov.uk/uk-border-control for up to date information.
The full list of exempt countries and territories and further information on travel corridors can be found at: