UK adds Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas to ‘no-go’ list as coronavirus cases soar
Belgium has become the latest European country to be added to the UK government’s “no-go” list because of a sharp increase in coronavirus cases.
Almost 10,000 people have died from the virus, a per-capita rate higher than any other major country.
Belgium was exempted from the Foreign Office’s general advice against non-essential international travel on 4 July, and quarantine for arrivals from the country ended on 10 July.
But according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 is almost 50 – three times higher than in the UK.
Belgium is in a small group of European nations with currently high prevalence of coronavirus, with Spain and Luxembourg – both of which were added to the “no-go” list in late July.
The UK has also added Andorra and the Bahamas to its quarantine list.
The inclusion of those two countries is unlikely to affect many travellers, but the Foreign Office office says that in a normal year 1.8 million British citizens travel to Belgium.
Anyone who visits Belgium will now find that standard travel insurance policies are invalidated, and travellers returning from the country – whether direct or via France or the Netherlands – will be required to self-isolate for two weeks.
The tiny co-principality of Andorra, wedged high in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, is traditionally a winter destination favoured by British skiers keen on low prices and uncrowded slopes.
The Bahamas is also largely a winter attraction, with Nassau featuring on many cruise itineraries.
The archipelago has reintroduced lockdown restrictions, including a ban on inter-island travel, and imposed a 14-day quarantine for all arriving airline passengers.
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