Holidaymakers in Spain told to self-isolate on return to UK

Holidaymakers returning from Spain have been told they will have to self-isolate for two weeks when they return to the UK as the Government moves the country back off the country’s safe list amid coronavirus second wave fears.
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Large numbers of tourists from the UK are already in Spain, which was deemed safe to visit without quarantining afterwards from July 10 until yesterday (July 25).

The ‘travel corridor’ that allowed travel to and from Spain has now ended after more than 900 new cases were reported in the country in just two days.

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The new measures came into place at midnight on July 25, catching members of the public who were already in Spain off guard.

Passengers wearing face masks or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)Passengers wearing face masks or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Passengers wearing face masks or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)

And some government officials, including Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps whose department announced the rule change, will also be forced to self-isolate if the travel corridor remains suspended when by the time they return to the UK.

Holidaymakers from all four parts of the UK will have to self-isolate on return from Spain and England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all agree on the move.

A government spokesperson said: "The Joint Biosecurity Centre together with Public Health England have updated their coronavirus assessments of Spain based on the latest data.

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"As a result, Spain has been removed from the lists of countries from which passengers arriving in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are exempted from the need to self-isolate.

“Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK.

“We’ve always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country where necessary. Both our list of quarantine exemptions and the FCO travel advice.”

The foreign office is now advising against all but essential travel to Spain.

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The new rules apply to people returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Palma and Ibiza.

On Thursday, the Spanish health ministry reported 971 new daily infections. This was the biggest daily increase since Spain's lockdown ended.