British holidaymakers and influencers in Dubai will have to self-isolate for 10 days upon their return.
The United Arab Emirates, Burundi and Rwanda have been added to the ‘red list’ of countries from where travel to the UK is banned, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
It means anyone arriving from these countries will be barred from entering unless they are British, Irish or foreign nationals with residence rights.
The Department for Transport said the decision was in response to new evidence showing the likely spread of a coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.
Shapps said the travel ban for the three countries would come into force from 1pm tomorrow.
He said passengers who are allowed back in must still have proof of a negative test and completed a passenger locator form before arrival or face a £500 fine.
The full list of countries on the UK’s ‘red-list’
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
For now, anyone coming back from these countries is expected to self-isolate at home.
But new travel rules, expected to come into force from February 8, will mean arrivals will have to quarantine for 10 days at a Government allocated hotel room.
It is understood they will be escorted from the airport to a hotel nearby and could pay around £1,500 for their stay.
Today’s announcement follows uproar in recent weeks over social media influencers sharing shots of their luxurious trips abroad, particularly in Dubai, despite lockdown rules at home in the UK.
Many have tried to justify their journeys by arguing it is a legitimate part of their job.
Today’s announcement adds to a list of 30 countries on a quarantine list announced by the Government yesterday.
The new rules stopped short of Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s calls for all arrivals to be quarantined.
In a bid to stop unnecessary travel out of the country, Patel has said Britons would be sent home from airports and ports if they could not prove their trip was ‘essential’.
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