Quarantine rules

Passengers entering the UK from dozens of countries no longer have to quarantine but if you want to go on a cruise it is not being recommended by the same government department, the Foreign Office and Commonwealth Office (FCO). For cruising the FCO rules are different, as noted in this week's BTN.

More than 50 countries – including many popular holiday spots – now pose ''a reduced risk'' from coronavirus, the government says.

However, not all of them have ended restrictions for UK tourists when they arrive there and the recommendation is to check on the FCO website and the country in question.

Arrivals are exempt from quarantine if they arrive in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Scotland has its own rules and travellers transiting another British airport will have to consider their personal responsibilities.

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, 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.

The Government has been advising against all but essential travel since March, but this advice has been lifted for destinations that ''no longer pose an unacceptably high risk'' for British travellers.

Scotland is also allowing exemptions, although unlike the other nations it does not exempt travellers from Spain, because of concerns about their rate of coronavirus.

You will still have to isolate for 14 days if you arrive back in the UK from Canada, the US and much of Central or South America.

Countries in Africa, the Middle East and most of Asia are also excluded.

Travellers from Sweden, Portugal, Russia and anywhere else not on the list will also have to quarantine.

The list will be kept under review, and if conditions worsen in an exempted country, the Government says it ''will not hesitate'' to reintroduce quarantine for those travellers.

Equally, further restrictions may be placed on UK travellers if its infection rate rises.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

Toby Clark, London

Can we go to Barcelona and take a cruise, or not? And then come home and not spend two weeks in our flat. It does have a balcony but no concierge service and it’s the same view every day. Completely baffled.

Dominic de Mato, Madrid

It’s news to me that if you are coming in to the UK from abroad you can fill in a form before you get on your flight. Well done someone.