Coronavirus: UK brings back 14-day quarantine for Spain

Travellers returning to the UK from Spain after midnight tonight will have to quarantine for 14 days, the government has said.

The decision came following a significant spike in coronavirus cases in Spain, with more than 900 new cases of the virus reported on Friday.

Spanish officials have also warned a second wave could be imminent as major cities have seen cases surge.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential to mainland Spain.

"Protecting public health is our absolute priority and we have taken this decision to limit any potential spread to the UK," a spokesman from the Department of Transport said.

"We've always been clear that we would act immediately to remove a country [from quarantine exemptions list] where necessary."

The spokesman said people currently on holiday in Spain should follow the local rules, return home as normal, and check the Foreign Office's travel advice website for further information.

The government is urging employers to be "understanding of those returning from Spain who now will need to self-isolate".

But Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds called the government to explain in detail how it will support those affected, adding that the news will be "deeply concerning for families who are in caught in Spain or are planning travel".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the decision was made after reviewing the latest data earlier on Saturday.

"This reinforces the point that these matters are subject to change at short notice and so my advice is to be cautious about non-essential foreign travel," she said.

What's happening in Spain?

Spain has so far seen more than 28,000 coronavirus deaths. On Thursday, it saw the biggest biggest daily increase in infections since its lockdown ended.

Catalonia has become the latest region to crack down on nightlife. The wealthy north-east region, which is home to Barcelona, ordered all nightclubs to close for two weeks and put a midnight curfew on bars in the greater Barcelona area.

The BBC's Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid says contagion among young people is a particular worry, as they have been gathering in large numbers in cities at night.

France has warned its citizens not to travel to Catalonia while Norway has said it will start quarantining people arriving from Spain.

Quarantine measures for UK travellers were introduced in early June. But after pressure from the aviation and travel industries, the government and devolved administrations published lists of countries exempt from the rules.

The quarantine measures will apply to those returning from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, such as Palma and Ibiza. However, Foreign Office advice against non-essential travel, which has ramifications for travel insurance, only applies to mainland Spain.

The Airport Operators Association said the new measures will "further damage what is already a fragile restart of the aviation sector which continues to face the biggest challenge in its history".

Budget airline EasyJet said it was "disappointed" and would operate a full schedule in the coming days.

"Customers who no longer wish to travel can transfer their flights without a change fee or receive a voucher for the value of the booking," the company said in a statement.

The new rules for Spain come a day after five other destinations were added to England's quarantine-free list.

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