Turkey and Poland added to UK's quarantine list

People watch as a Russian tourist and a Turkish instructor land on the beach after paragliding, in the Olympos area, about 100 kilometers west of Antalya, Turkey
Turkey has now been added to the quarantine list as it measures coronavirus cases in a manner not in lined with other international countries. Credit: AP

Turkey, Poland and the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba have been removed from UK's quarantine exemption list.

Anyone arriving in the UK from those places after 4am on Saturday October 3 must self-isolate for 14 days, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The seven-day rate of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Poland is now at 25.9, increasing from 15.6 in the previous week.

Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba also reported 142.4 new cases per 100,000, unchanged from 142.4 in the previous week.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s rate has dropped to 12.9 cases, down from 14.2 in the week prior.

However the Department for Health said Turkey has been “defining the number of new Covid-19 cases in a different way to the definition used by international organisations such as the World Health Organisation”, meaning it is likely to impact on test positivity rates.

A seven-day rate of 20 new cases per 100,000 people is the threshold above which the UK government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Despite Italy’s weekly rate increasing to 20.4 cases, up from 18.4, it was not mentioned in the announcement.

Travellers returning from Turkey will have to isolate from 4am on Saturday October 3. Credit: AP

Figures have been calculated based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

In a tweet, Grant Shapps said: “The latest data indicates we need to remove Turkey, Poland, and Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba from the #TravelCorridor list this week.

“This means if you arrive from these destinations from 4am Saturday 3 October, you will need to self-isolate.”

He also added that the penalties for people who refuse to self-isolate are to be increased. First time offenders found in breach of self isolation following a positive coronavirus test or contact from Test and Trace can be fined £1,000, which can rise up to £10,000 for repeat offences.

Travellers returning from Poland will also have to self-isolate. Credit: AP

He added: “Data from Poland shows that test positivity has nearly doubled increasing from 3.9% to 5.8% alongside a rapid increase in weekly cases, causing the Joint Biosecurity Centre to update their recommendation.”

Last Thursday Mr Shapps announced that passengers returning from Denmark, Iceland, Slovakia and the Caribbean island of Curacao would also have to self-isolate on their return.