Croatia could be added to quarantine list after sharp rise in Covid cases

20 August 2020, 08:50

Croatia could be added to the UK’s quarantine list on Thursday after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

The Balkan holiday destination has seen its seven day average of Covid-19 cases more than triple, from 7.8 per 100,000 last week to 27.4 this week.

Over the weekend, Grant Shapps revealed that anything above 20 cases per 100,000 for a period of seven days or more will likely lead to a country being added to the quarantine list.

The Transport Secretary is expected to announce the move later today, according to the Daily Telegraph.

It could leave thousands of Brits scrambling to return home by 4am on Saturday, as was the case when France and the Netherlands were added last week.

Simon Calder tells Eddie Mair when the cut off point is for quarantine from France and the Netherlands

The Government refused to deny the claims.

A No 10 spokesman said: "We continue to keep these rules under constant review and we publish a list of the countries and territories that we are concerned about. You'll have seen the last update as of last week."

Pushed on the limited time between new quarantine measures being announced and their implementation, the No 10 spokesman said: "We've always said that protecting public health remains our top priority, which is why it is important that when we make changes to the exemptions list we do so in a swift way.

"While these changes we understand can be disruptive, it is right that we take quick action to prevent cases being important into the UK."

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When France was added to the list, tens of thousands of UK tourists made last-ditch bids to beat the quarantine, with tickets for planes, trains and ferries going for increased prices, with some airfares around six times more expensive than usual.

The move came after Boris Johnson said ministers would be “absolutely ruthless” in deciding on whether to impose the self-isolation requirement.

Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos and Aruba were also added to the UK's quarantine list last week as officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, Portugal could be set to become a quarantine-free holiday destination after cases fell to 14.7 per 100,000 – almost the same as the UK.