It’s that time of the week, where the UK Government and The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office update their travel advice on where people will need to isolate, or if they are free to travel again.
Countries that require you to self-isolate upon return to the United Kingdom
- Denmark – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/denmark
- Slovakia – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/slovakia
- Iceland – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iceland
- Curaçao –https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/curacao
People arriving in the UK from Denmark, Iceland, Curaçao and Slovakia from 4 am Saturday 26 September 2020 will need to self-isolate for 14 days (two weeks) as the countries are removed from the travel corridors list.
Failure to self-isolate runs the risk of a £1000 upward fine.
Now the science part
Let’s look at what the FCDO says this week to vaguely justify the decision.
There has been a consistent increase in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of the population in Iceland, with data showing a 921% increase in newly reported cases over the past week.
In Slovakia, there has been a consistent increase in the weekly case rate of COVID-19 over the past 4 weeks, with a 115% increase in weekly cases per 100,000 between 2 and 23 September 2020.
There has also been a 508% increase in newly reported cases per week in Denmark over the past 4 weeks, and a 481% increase in newly reported cases over 7 days per 100,000 between 2 and 23 September 2020 in Curaçao.
And for the usual things you need to be aware of
It goes without saying that we need to bang on about filling in the passenger locator form (even though whoever wrote that form did it with the minimal amount of testing in the world…).
This is required to be completed before you arrive in the UK. All travellers, including those from exempt destinations, will still be required to show a completed form on arrival into the UK unless they fall into a small group of exemptions. The UK Border Force do carry out spot checks, and travellers who refuse to provide their contact details, face a fine starting at £100 – so it’s in your personal as well as fiscal interest to fill that form in.
And don’t forget, HM Government is tightening up on self-isolation too as the UK moved into Level Four alertness earlier this week. Failure to comply with self-isolation requirements can lead to a £1000 and upwards fine.
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