Croatia and Austria placed on UK’s quarantine list – Portugal cleared for travel

Travellers coming from Croatia and Austria to the UK will now have to self-isolate for two weeks – while those coming from Portugal no longer face restrictions.

Anyone returning to the UK from Trinidad and Tobago will also have to quarantine for 14 days.
The restrictions come into force at 4am on Saturday.

The Foreign Office has said it would look at putting any country with more than 20 cases per 100,000 people on its quarantine list.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps also announced travellers returning from Portugal to the UK will no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks.
Croatia’s average number of cases has risen to 29.5 cases per 100,000 people in the past week – compared to a rate of 13.54 per 100,000 a week ago.
A scramble to leave Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago is expected after France saw thousands of British holidaymakers trying to beat the same deadline last week after it was placed on the quarantine list last Thursday.

The Netherlands, Monaco, Malta and Turks and Caicos were also placed on the quarantine list at short notice last week.
Spain and Belgium were already on it.

Portugal’s government and tourist industry expressed anger when the country was placed on the quarantine list when it was created at the beginning of July.
The country’s number of cases dropped in the past week to 14.38 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 15 per 100,000 the week before – and has not been over 20 per 100,000 since the week of 15-22 July.

In a statement, Wales’  Minister for Health and Social Services Vaughan Gething said:-

Members will be aware that the UK Government made provision to ensure that travellers entering the United Kingdom from overseas must self-isolate for 14 days, to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.  These restrictions came into force on Monday 8 June 2020.

On 10 July the Welsh Government amended the Regulations to introduce exemptions from the isolation requirement for a list of countries and territories, and a limited range of people in specialised sectors or employment who may be exempted from the isolation requirement or excepted from certain provisions of the passenger information requirements.

Since then these regulations have been kept under review and a number of changes to the list of exempt countries and territories have been made.

I have today met with Ministers from across the 4 national governments in the UK to discuss the potential change to the International Travel Regulations. As a result of that meeting, it was decided to add Portugal and remove Austria, Croatia and Trinidad and Tobago from the list of exempt countries and territories. I will tomorrow lay the necessary regulations which will come into force at 04:00 on Saturday, 22 August.

This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep members informed. Should members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.