Travellers returning to Wales from Switzerland, Jamaica and Czech Republic to face quarantine from Saturday

Passengers arriving in Wales from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic will need to self-isolate for 14 days from 4am on Saturday, the Welsh Government has announced.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said those countries were being removed from the quarantine exemption list due to a rise in coronavirus cases.

But Mr Gething announced that those returning from Cuba and Singapore will no longer need to quarantine, also from 4am on Saturday, following a reduction in coronavirus cases in both countries.

Under the current quarantine rules, travellers entering Wales from overseas must self-isolate for 14 days in order to prevent the further spread of coronavirus, unless the country they are returning from is exempt.

Katarina Hobbs, director of tourism authority CzechTourism UK and Ireland, insisted that the Czech Republic "remains a safe country to travel to".

She said: "This is a British Government decision that we deeply regret and hope that the UK Government will reconsider their decision very soon.

"We continue to provide important information to tourists who are visiting - which includes avoiding crowded areas and following the strict rules that have been implemented by the Czech Republic government."

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: "I have today met with Ministers from across the 4 national governments in the UK to discuss the potential change to the International Travel Regulations.

"As a result of that meeting, I have decided to add Cuba and Singapore and remove Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from the list of exempt countries and territories. I will tomorrow lay the necessary regulations which will come into force at 04:00 on Saturday, 29 August."