UK has published a full list of countries for which quarantine for people returning back to England from said countries will not be required. The list is scheduled to come into effect from 10 July.
Turkey which is one of the main destinations for British tourist for summer holidays is among said countries together with others such as Greece, Spain, France and Belgium. It is observed that some others such as China, US, Sweden and Portugal have not been included in the list, meaning arrivals from those have to isolate for 14 days.
On the other hand it is observed that Scotland and Wales do not seem to be very pleased with the announcement and have not yet decided whether to ease travel restrictions. As for Northern Ireland it is understood that the quarantine rules will also remain in place for visitors arriving from outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Concerned restrictions had been put into practice in early June with an effort to stop coronavirus entering the country. Now, the decline in coronavirus cases in concerned countries is said to have been effective in the lifting of the ban as British authorities found the number of cases released from those countries to be credible.
With this decision, it became clear that British citizens who would visit 75 countries would not be required to go into 14-day quarantine upon return to the country.
This decision is very important for Turkey in terms of tourism revenues as well as for British citizens who are known to be very fond of Turkey and prefer to spend their holidays in this country every summer.
Arrivals are exempt from quarantine if they arrive in England from:
Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Réunion, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, South Korea, Spain, St Barthélemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Vatican City, Vietnam.
The 14 British Overseas Territories are also exempt.
Travelers will still have to isolate for 14 days if they arrive back in England from Canada, the US and much of Central or South America. Countries in Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia are also excluded. Travelers from Sweden, Portugal, Russia and anywhere else not on the list will also have to quarantine.
More countries may be added ''over the coming days',' the Department for Transport says. The government will also lift its advice against all but essential international travel for selected countries from Saturday.
However, there is a possibility that travelers leaving England could still face restrictions - including quarantine - when they arrive in one of the exempted countries. In fact, some of the countries and territories on the list have restrictions for arriving UK visitors.
These include;
-Greece which will not accept direct UK flights until at least mid-July
-Austria requires Britons to self-isolate unless they have a recent medical certificate or test negative for coronavirus on arrival
-New Zealand has barred almost all foreign travellers from visiting
-Countries including Australia and South Korea impose a 14-day quarantine
-Visitors to Iceland can either choose to pay for a test or go into quarantine
-You are not allowed to enter Cyprus if you have been in the UK in the last 14 days
It is also noteworthy to know that measures such quarantine are adopted by each UK nation separately, so the changes may not apply everywhere.
The situation at present is as follows:
-The Scottish government has not made a decision on whether to ease quarantine restrictions
-The Welsh government has not decided either whether to follow England's measures
-Northern Ireland will still quarantine travelers arriving from outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland
-Travel information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be published in ''due course'' by the administrations there.
LAST MINUTE UPDATE: Turkey travel advice- Change made
From 4 July, Turkey is exempt from the FCO advice against all non-essential international travel. This is based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.
