Jamaica added to UK quarantine list

[cactusrose]

"Travellers to Switzerland, Jamaica and Czech Republic who return to the UK from 04:00 BST on Saturday will have to self-isolate for two weeks.

The UK government said the move was needed to keep UK infection rates down.

People arriving in Scotland from Switzerland are already required to self-isolate .

Cuba, where there has been a drop in cases, will be added to the list of destinations people can return from without entering quarantine.

The UK considers imposing quarantine conditions when a country's rate of infection exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 people over seven days.

The government said there has been a "consistent increase" in the weekly case rate in Switzerland over the past four weeks, with cases per 100,000 rising from 18.5 to 22 over the past week.

In Jamaica, the seven-day rate rose from 4.3 on August 20 to 20.8 on Thursday - a 382% increase, while the Czech Republic has seen weekly cases per 100,000 rise from 16.2 on 20 August to 20.2 on Thursday.

More than 1.6 million Britons travelled to Switzerland last year, the Swiss Tourism Federation said, drawn by the Alps and the mountain air.

The Czech Republic sees more than 300,000 British tourists every year, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The capital Prague is a popular destination for city breaks and stag parties."