Switzerland has been removed from the UK’s ‘travel corridor’ list, meaning that anyone arriving in the country from Switzerland will need to self-isolate for 14 days.
The new rule applies from 4am on Saturday August 29 and was announced by the UK Government on Thursday (August 27). The Czech Republic and Jamaica were also removed from the UK’s travel corridor at the same time as Switzerland, “following data showing a significant increase in confirmed cases” in all three countries, the GOV.UK website states.
The decision won’t be a surprise to many, as it’s been suspected for a while that the rising number of cases across Switzerland would lead to it being removed from the UK’s quarantine-free list. It should also be noted that Scotland removed Switzerland from its own ‘safe list’ last week.
On its website, the UK Government says that there has been a “consistent increase” in Covid-19 cases over the past four weeks “with a 19% increase in weekly [cases] per 100,000 between the 20 and 27 August”.
Switzerland now joins the likes of France, Spain, Austria, Croatia and the Netherlands – amongst others – in the list of countries removed from the UK’s travel corridor, all requiring a two-week self-isolation period when you arrive in the UK. A full list of countries can be found on the UK Government’s website.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also updated its travel advice for Switzerland, advising against all but essential travel to the country. However, the FCO also makes clear that it is not advising any UK citizens already travelling in Switzerland to leave.
Whether the move will prompt a flurry of travellers rushing back to the UK before the quarantine deadline kicks in (much like the scenes in Spain, when the country was suddenly removed from the ‘safe list’ in July) remains to be seen.