Where can you travel without quarantining upon return? Latest updates here.
The quarantine rules are changing all the time as different countries battle to bring down cases. But the current restrictions in place are listed here.
As we head into the final few weeks of summer, people all over the UK are hoping to squeeze in a cheeky summer holiday and travel to a new part of the world before autumn begins.
However, after initially getting cases under control, many nations are experiencing a resurgence of coronavirus – forcing the British government to bring in quarantine restrictions surrounding travel.
Simply put – any passengers arriving from a nation that is not on the UK’s ‘travel corridor’ list will have to isolate for two weeks when they get home.
The quarantine rules are changing all the time as different countries battle to bring down cases. But the current restrictions in place are listed below.
Which countries require a quarantine upon return to the UK?
A number of nations have had to be added to the ‘red’ list in recent weeks due to a rise in coronavirus infection rates.
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The Government is advising against all but essential travel to these countries.
Passengers touching back down in the UK from nations on the red list must self-isolate for a period of 14 days.
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Those who do not run the risk of being fined up to £1,000 in England.
Andorra
The Bahamas
Belgium
Canada
Luxembourg
Portugal
Spain
The United States
Anyone returning from most parts of Central and South America will be required to isolate upon arrival in the UK, with several nations in this part of the world closing borders to visitors.
Many countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia are also on the red list. Exemptions are listed later down the article.
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Which countries are considered ‘at risk’ of being added to the red list?
Some nations are teetering on the brink of the UK’s red list, with pockets of COVID-19 creeping up over the past few days.
France is currently at risk of having travel quarantine restrictions imposed, and anyone planning to visit should be aware that new rules could be introduced soon.
Croatia, Greece and Norway have also seen a rise in cases.
The nations listed below are currently on the ‘travel corridor’ list, meaning you will not need to self-isolate when you get back to the UK upon your return.
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However, it is important to note that many of these countries do have restrictions of their own in place – which may require you to self-isolate when you arrive.
Remember to check the Government website for the latest updates before you book and travel.
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Barbados
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
French Polynesia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Macau
Malta
Mauritius
Monaco
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Réunion
San Marino
Serbia
Seychelles
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
St Barthélemy
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Switzerland
Taiwan
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkey
Vatican City
Vietnam
You can also learn more about travelling to different parts of the world – and the restrictions in place for these countries – online.
Visit the Government foreign travel advice page and click on a particular country to find out about the current guidelines and recommendations.
News
Greater Manchester officially launches five-year climate change action plan
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has officially begun its five-year climate change action plan, with the overarching goal of becoming a net-zero city region by 2038.
The comprehensive pledge put together over a number of years itself will see Manchester City Council and the nearby local authorities put into action a number of key measures that will help to reduce not only central carbon figures but, eventually, across the 10 boroughs in turn.
Over the last 15 years, emissions have been reduced by approximately 64%, saving an estimated 44,344 tonnes of carbon through cleaner building energy, street lighting and other electronics, as well as the increasingly green and over-growing Bee Network.
They have also insisted that it isn’t just about cutting down on greenhouse gases; the aim is to make the city region and the surrounding areas more sustainable, affordable and create a better standard of life.
Our five-year plan to tackle climate change launches today. 🌏
It details how we’ll continue to deliver dramatic reductions in the amount of carbon we emit (the biggest contributor to climate change). 🏙️
As per the summary on the Council website, in addition to creating more efficient homes, they’re hoping to provide more access to nature and good-quality green space, “public transport you can rely on”, and “better health and wellbeing for those who live, work, study and visit here.”
With a steadily recovering local and national economy (touch wood), they’re also hoping for an influx of new jobs, too.
Summarising the key bullet points leading up to the end of the decade, these are the next steps currently outlined by the Council:
Lower carbon emissions
Grow the use of renewable energy
Improve low-carbon travel in the city
Improve air quality
Grow the city’s natural environment and boost biodiversity
Improve resilience to flooding and extreme heat
Engage and involve our workforce and our city’s communities
Reduce waste and grow reuse, repair, sharing and recycling
Support a move to a more circular economy
Minimise the negative impact of events held in the city
Develop our knowledge of our indirect emissions and lower them
Create a green financing strategy and explore new funding models for the city
Influence the environmental practices of other organisations
As for emissions, the target is now to drop the present output by another 34%, which will prevent almost 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from being pumped into the atmosphere.
Having touched upon the continued expansion of the Bee Network infrastructure, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is also set to install multiple new travel links over the coming years, including both new tram stops and train stations – further
You can read the climate action plan in full HERE.
Manchester’s firework displays are ‘back with a bang’ as they return from 2026
Emily Sergeant
Council-organised firework displays in Manchester’s parks are set to return from next year, it has been confirmed.
You may remember that these once-popular events have not been held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic initially prevented them from taking place from 2020 onwards, and then following that, they remained paused on a trial basis while the Manchester City Council sought to ‘reprioritise funding’ to support a wider range of free community events across the city.
But now, as it seems, the door was never shut on their potential return.
An ‘improved financial position’ now means that the Council is in a position to bring firework events back, while also still continuing to support other community events.
Papers setting out the Council’s financial position show that fairer funding being introduced by the Government next year will leave the Council better off than previously anticipated, he the reason firework displays have been brought back into the mix.
The Council has admitted that ‘pressures remain’ after so many years of financial cuts, but this new funding creates the opportunity to invest in the things residents have said matter the most to them.
“Manchester prides itself on free community events and we know many people have missed Bonfire night firework spectaculars,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“That’s why we are pleased to confirm they’ll be back by popular demand in 2026.
“We know that generations of Mancunians have enjoyed Council-organised displays and that free family events are a great way to bring people together… [and] now that this Government is actually investing in Councils like ours rather than the cuts we had since 2010, we can bring back Bonfire events.”
The Manc -
11th August 2020 
