Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK’s quarantine travel list.
The Government is holding its weekly review of travel measures today with an announcement likely to be made this evening on any changes.
The UK has said that any country which records more than 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period will be subject to a travel ban and the 14 day self-isolation requirement for returning travellers.
Switzerland appears almost certain to be added to the so-called ‘red list’ because its case numbers are currently above the threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2. Scotland has already taken Switzerland off of its safe travel list.
Meanwhile, there are growing fears the Czech Republic is at risk of quarantine after its case numbers increased.
The latest statistics showed the seven-day rate in the Czech Republic is now at 19.4 cases per 100,000, up from 16 a week ago and only just below the threshold.
Jamaica also appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000.
However, Italy is widely expected to remain on the UK Government’s safe travel list.
The case rate in Italy stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks.
Decisions on quarantine changes in recent weeks have been made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter on Thursday evenings.
The coronavirus case rate in Italy is currently at 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is unlikely to face quarantine restrictions in the coming weeks. Termini railway station in Rome is pictured on August 23
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is widely expected to unveil the latest changes to travel rules tonight
In full: The countries which are not on the UK’s quarantine list
The Government has imposed quarantine restrictions on numerous countries in recent weeks.
Below is the latest list of nations which are still viewed by the UK as safe to travel:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St Barthélemy, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican City State, Vietnam.
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However, while Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic could soon be subject to the 14-day self-isolation requirement for travellers returning to the UK, Greece now appears likely to stay on the safe list for the moment.
While the rate has ticked upwards in both countries, neither of them are near the UK’s threshold for banning non-essential travel.
In Greece, the latest seven-day rate is 14.1 cases per 100,000 – roughly the same as a week ago (14.3), but up from where it was two weeks ago (10.1).
The latest figures were calculated based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
In Ireland, the seven-day rate is currently 14.8, while in the UK it is 11.1.
Last week the Government announced that Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago were being added to the ‘red list’.
Announcements on travel restrictions have tended to be made my ministers towards the end of the week, with new measures coming into effect at 4am on Saturdays.
The latest statistics came as Boris Johnson continued to face pressure to scrap the blanket quarantine policy.
The Future of Aviation Group, which includes 40 Tory MPs, has written to the PM urging him to end the current self-isolation requirement for people entering the UK from high risk countries.
They believe testing on arrival at airports would enable the quarantine period to be slashed to less than a week.
They have warned the current approach is harming businesses, telling the PM: ‘Without testing, we risk not only limiting leisure travel but also damaging our aspirations for a truly global Britain.’
More than 30 countries across the world already conduct testing at airports and MPs want to know why the UK cannot follow suit.
WHAT ARE THE CORONAVIRUS INFECTION RATES IN THE AT-RISK COUNTRIES?
The latest figures were calculated by the Press Association, based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Ministers have claimed countries with a seven-day rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people will be hit with quarantine conditions.
MailOnline asked the Department for Transport to explain how it calculates the figures because the ECDC only gives a 14-day rate and different data sources give varying estimates.
Switzerland
Switzerland is already over the threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2, PA claims.
Separate figures from Our World in Data, a project ran by Oxford University researchers who track the pandemic, show its infection rate is 21.91, up to August 27. The website claims the country, home to around 8.6million people, recorded 1,878 cases between August 21 and 27.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is currently recording a seven-day rate of 19.4 cases per 100,000, PA claims, up from 16 a week ago.
Our World in Data statistics — from the ECDC — show the infection rate in the country, home to 10.7million people, is actually above the threshold (20.14). It recorded 2,153 cases between August 21 and 27, the website claims.
Jamaica
Jamaica, home to around 2.9million people, also appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000, PA claims.
Our World in Data figures suggest it has already tipped the safe limit, with an infection rate of 20.85. It recorded 612 cases over the past seven days, the website claims.
AND WHAT ABOUT ITALY?
Italy is widely expected to remain on the UK Government’s safe travel list.
PA says its case rate stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks.
Our World in Data data suggests it is slightly higher, with 12.03 cases for every 100,000 people up to August 27. Italy, home to 60.4million people, saw 7,262 cases last week, according to the website.
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