The UK requires travelers returning from Spain to self-isolate for 14 days

Spain and its islands have now been added to the UK's quarantine list, so travelers arriving from there into England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will have to self-isolate for two weeks. While it was was already advising against non-essential travel to mainland Spain, the UK government is now warning against travel to the Balearics and Canaries.

Travelers returning to the UK from Lanzarote will have to self-isolate © Joanna Zaleska/Shutterstock

The move comes after the UK removed Spain from its list of safe countries amid concern that the country is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 infections. This means that holidaymakers will have to self-isolate upon their return to the UK with immediate effect. Travelers arriving back in the UK must go straight home or to other suitable accommodation, with their 14-day period of self-isolation starting from the day after they arrive. Leaving home for work, exercise or socialising is not permitted, but they may leave for medical appointments, to attend court or go to a funeral. They may also shop for essentials, if no-one else can do this for them.

Tenerife is one of the islands on the UK's self-isolation list © Moritz Wicklein/500px

As a result of this change in status, some travel companies and airlines have cancelled holidays and flights going to the Spanish islands of Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza for the moment. Scheduled flights bringing people back to the UK from these destinations are not affected. Foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, told Sky News that the reason for the decision to place Spain on the quarantine list is due to a"big jump" in COVID-19 cases across Spain. He said the UK could risk seeing a second wave of the virus and having to enter lockdown again if the measure wasn't taken.