Quarantine for arrivals from 'low risk' destinations to be scrapped next week

Passengers wear protective face masks and gloves at an airport
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The quarantine policy for passengers arriving in England from "lower risk countries" is set to be lifted, the Government has confirmed.

A full list of countries from which arrivals will not need to self-isolate for 14 days will be published later on Friday. It is expected to include Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

The new measures come into force from July 10, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also set out a number of destinations which will be exempt from its policy of advising against all non-essential overseas travel.

That change will come into effect on Saturday, allowing people to take holidays overseas with regular travel insurance policies.

The DfT said in a statement that the devolved administrations "will set out their own approach”.

This means passengers arriving in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland "should ensure they follow the laws and guidance which applies there".

The department indicated that reciprocal arrangements between England and overseas nations have not been confirmed.

It said that the Government's "expectation" is that a number of exempted countries will also not require arrivals from the UK to self-isolate.

The DfT added that the UK "continues to work closely with international partners around the world to discuss arrangements for travellers arriving from the UK".

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation.

"Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses.

"The entire nation has worked tirelessly to get to this stage, therefore safety must remain our watch word and we will not hesitate to move quickly to protect ourselves if infection rates rise in countries we are reconnecting with."

The DfT said a risk assessment has been conducted by the Joint Biosecurity Centre in consultation with Public Health England and the chief medical officer.

This considered factors for destinations including the prevalence of coronavirus, the number of new cases and the potential trajectory of the disease.

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