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
Manchester band Westside Cowboy release ‘thrilling’ debut album that critics are calling one of the year’s best
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s best rising bands have released their debut album today to glowing reviews from critics and fans alike.
Jimmy Bradbury, Reuben Haycocks, Aoife Anson O’Connell, and Paddy Murphy – better known together as Westside Cowboy – formed back in 2023 when they were students at the Royal Northern College of Music, so while they may not all be from Manchester, they definitely have the spirit of our city at the heart of everything they do.
After playing in different bands across the city throughout their student years, the four-piece joined forces to create Westside Cowboy – an indie rock collective credited with self-coining the genre of ‘Britainicana’.
Put simply, Britainicana is a cultural concept that mixes the hazy, mythic feel of American country and folk, with the sound of raw British punk, indie rock, and small-town life.
Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On / Credit: Clementine Schniedermann (Press Shots – Supplied)
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you’ll be pleased to know that Westside Cowboy have released their debut album, It Goes On, to the world today (21 August).
And the reception from critics, arguably, couldn’t be better.
Prior to the release of their debut album, the band had released two EPs, including So Much Country ‘Till We Get There in January earlier this year, and had started to make a name for themselves with their popular debut single ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’ in 2024.
They went onto make even further waves when they supported equally-rising American rock band Geese on their UK and Irish tour back in March – with many fans calling it one of the best support and main act combinations in some time.
Three singles from their debut album were shared with the world ahead of its release – ‘Kick Stones (The Boys)’ came first, followed by ‘Pin Up Boys’ and ‘Dobro’.
So, it’s fair to say the anticipation for album was high… and if the reviews are anything to go by (which we think they are), it looks like the band has very much delivered what they set out to achieve.
Westside Cowboy’s debut album It Goes On is now available to stream, or you can purchase a physical copy in a range of formats from their website here.
Take a listen👇
Featured Image – Press Shot (Supplied)
News
UK set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn
Emily Sergeant
The UK is being told to brace for a series of storms this autumn when the ‘unprecedented’ El Niño weather event arrives.
It’s already been a summer of extremes for the country, with multiple heatwaves over the past couple of months, but now it appears that autumn and winter are set to have some extremes of their own, as the Met Office is warning that this upcoming El Niño could be one of the most significant in recent memory.
El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5°C above the long-term average, which therefore impacts global rainfall patterns and average temperatures.
The natural warming of sea temperatures is forecast to reach more than 3°C in the coming months, according to the Met Office, making this year’s weather event have the potential to be ‘the largest since the 19th century’.
The UK is set to be battered by storms as ‘unprecedented’ El Niño arrives this autumn / Credit: Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)
El Niño will create a heightened risk of drought in the tropics, southern Africa, and north eastern Australia, but over in north western Europe – including the UK – it means we are likely to experience wetter and stormier conditions.
The UK, and of course Greater Manchester, is absolutely no stranger to a storm around this time of year, but forecasters say this could be an entirely different beast.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” warned Professor Adam Scaife, who is the Head of Long Range Forecasting at the Met Office.
“I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
Professor Scaife concluded: “A typical El Nino leads to an equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature rise of between one to 2°C, with 2°C being a really big event. This implies that, if the forecast is accurate, and other forecast systems show similar extreme values, then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Niño and its worldwide climate influences.’
Forecasters and officials, however, have warned that it could take months of sustained rainfall before rivers, reservoirs, and groundwaters are ‘completely replenished’ – which is when a drought can officially be declared as over.
It also warned drought conditions could persist into the new year as, despite El Niño, as current forecasts do not suggest this autumn will have the amount of rainfall needed to drive recovery.
The Manc -
11th August 2020 
