Thailand and Singapore put on safe travel list but Slovenia and Guadeloupe visitors face quarantine

Travellers returning from Thailand and Singapore will no longer have to quarantine after they were added to the UK safe travel list tonight.

But Britons and holidaymakers arriving in Britain from Slovenia and the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe will face 14 days in isolation from 4am on Saturday. 

Announcing the latest changes to the travel corridors list tonight, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: ‘Latest data shows we need to remove Slovenia and Guadeloupe from the Travel Corridor list to keep everyone safe. This means if you arrive in the UK from these destinations after 4am Saturday, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

‘Separately, we will be adding Singapore and Thailand to the Travel Corridor list. Please check before you travel as both countries may have extra requirements before entering.

‘A reminder that travellers to the UK (from ANY location) MUST complete a Passenger Locator Form by law. This is vital in protecting public health & ensuring those who need to are complying with self-isolation rules.’ 

Travellers returning from Thailand (above) and Singapore (top) will no longer have to quarantine after they were added to the UK safe travel list tonight. 

But Britons and holidaymakers arriving in Britain from Slovenia (top) and the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe (above) will face 14 days in isolation from 4am on Saturday

A DfT spokeswoman added: ‘People arriving in England from Slovenia and Guadeloupe from 4am Saturday September 19 will need to self-isolate for two weeks as the countries are removed from the travel exemptions list.

‘Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in both destinations, leading to Ministers removing these from the current list of Travel Corridors.

‘Data from Slovenia shows that the weekly incidence (cases) per 100,000 has increased from 14.4 on September 9 to 29.1 on September 16. This equates to a 102 per cent increase. 

‘There has been a sharp increase in the weekly incidence rate of COVID-19 in Guadeloupe over the past 4 weeks, with a 558 per cent increase in weekly incidence per 100,000 between August 25 and September 15.’

A rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

The decision to remove the quarantine requirement for arrivals from Thailand and Singapore is unlikely to lead in a surge of people from England visiting the destinations.

The countries are only allowing people to enter for a limited number of reasons, such as if they have a work permit or are the spouse or child of a resident. 

Denmark retained its quarantine exemption, despite its seven-day case rate being 33.8.