“Data shows we need to remove Andorra, Belgium, and The Bahamas from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors in order to keep infection rates DOWN. If you arrive in the UK after 0400 [03:00 GMT] Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days”, Shapps said via Twitter.
The three countries are the latest to be affected by a change in travel advice after quarantine measures were re-imposed on Spain and Luxembourg in July.
Belgium has suffered a consistent increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, rising to 27.8 new cases per 100,000 people, compared to the UK’s current 8.4 rate, according to figures cited by Sky News broadcaster.
In another tweet, the transport secretary also announced that the travelers from Brunei and Malaysia will no longer have to self-isolate upon arrival in the UK, after a decrease in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in those Asian nations.
The number of cases of the novel coronavirus in the UK has risen by 950 over the last 24 hours to 308,134, while the cumulative death toll jumped to 46,413 after the 49 new deaths reported on Thursday by the National Department of Health and Social Care.