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UK holiday quarantine could be reduced to just eight days

7 September 2020, 12:00

The quarantine could be slashed from 14 days to eight. Picture: PA Images

The two week quarantine period is currently 'under review' and could be reduced dramatically.

Quarantine rules for holidaymakers arriving back in the UK could be reduced from 14 days to just eight.

According to the Mail on Sunday, officials are currently looking at introducing more measures to slash the amount of time people have to stay at home.

This includes providing coronavirus tests eight days after travellers arrive at UK airports and ports which could help the government ditch the current blanket quarantine measures.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab also told the Andrew Marr Show over the weekend that the policy was ‘under review’, although Government sources have insisted no decision has been made.

Travellers from many countries currently have to quarantine for two weeks. Picture: PA Images

This comes after MPs warned the Prime Minister that the current 14-day self-isolation rules are ‘crippling trade and tourism’.

There are currently strict quarantine rules in place across countries such as Spain and France, which require travellers to stay indoors for two weeks after touching back down in the UK.

Under the latest guidelines, people arriving in Wales and Scotland from Portugal, Gibraltar, six Greek islands and French Polynesia must now also self-isolate for 14 days.

Meanwhile those arriving back in England and Northern Ireland do not have to quarantine at all.

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Cases in Portugal and Greece have risen dramatically over the past week,

In Portugal, the seven-day infection rate has increased from 15.3 to 23 per 100,000 people.

This is above the threshold of 20, which is when the UK government considers stricter quarantine rules.

Greece's overall rate was at 13.8 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people last week, which is down from 14.9 a week earlier.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Thursday: "There are no English additions or removals today. We continue to keep the travel corridor list under constant review and won't hesitate to remove countries if needed.

"Nonetheless, holidaymakers are reminded - 14-day quarantine countries can and do change at very short notice."

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