No longer an island...Shapps insists end of isolation is great for the nation
THE air bridges announcement was last night hailed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps as the next step in “carefully reopening our great nation”.
He said: “This is good news for British people and great news for British businesses.”.
Mr Shapps admitted drawing up the list had been “complicated” and the Government had looked at countries’ coronavirus policies as well as infection rates.
Australia, Barbados, France, Italy, Greece and the Seychelles are among the popular spots tourists can visit without having to quarantine when they return to England.
But the US, mainland Portugal, Brazil, Mexico and Thailand have not made the cut.
Mr Shapps said: “It is really important that we have done this in a very careful and cautious way.The most important thing is to maintain the gains that we have had.”
The rule changes from Friday will apply to travellers arriving in England by all routes, including train, ferry coach and air.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are to set out their own approach but travellers could use ports in England before moving on.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said there are “obvious practical reasons” for alignment on the issue but criticised the “shifting sands” of the Westminster policy.
She said: “When so much is at stake, as it is right now, we can’t allow ourselves to be dragged along in the wake of, to be quite frank, another Government’s shambolic decision process.”
Quarantine rules will not apply to anyone arriving from one of the countries on the new list as long as they have not visited another area outside of the approved group in the previous 14 days.
There are 59 countries set out for so-called travel corridors plus all 14 British Overseas Territories.
Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are already exempt.
But passengers must fill out a form before arrival saying where they will be staying and whether they are a visitor or a resident.
And the list is open to change in the coming days according to shifts in virus infection rates in each country.