Summary

  • Travellers arriving in the UK from Spain must now quarantine for 14 days, under new coronavirus travel rules

  • There has been criticism of the snap decision but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the government 'could not apologise'

  • The measures follow a spike in infections in Spain, with more than 900 new cases reported on Friday

  • The UK's biggest tour operator, Tui, has cancelled all mainland Spanish holidays until 9 August

  • The Spanish government says it wants the UK authorities to exclude the Canary and Balearic Islands from the measure

  • There have been more than 16 million cases globally and nearly 645,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University

Live Reporting

Edited by Julian Joyce

  1. Government handling of Spain quarantine rules 'frankly shambolic' - Labour

    Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan AshworthSky News

    Travellers arriving in the UK from Spain must now quarantine for 14 days under new coronavirus travel rules.

    They were announced on Saturday after a rise in infections in Spain, with more than 900 new cases reported on Friday.

    Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said he understands why the government made the decision, but the handling and communication of it was “frankly shambolic”.

    He urged the government to provide clarity for “confused and distressed” holidaymakers, who don't know whether their employers will allow them to quarantine at home for two weeks.

    He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge: "The government is just saying, 'We hope that employers co-operate'. Well, to be frank, I hope I win the lottery on Saturday but that doesn't mean it is going to happen."

    He called on the government to provide "clarity" for holidaymakers and said it needed to be backed up by financial support, so that people who need to self-isolate can "do the right thing" to protect themselves and others.

  2. Hello again

    Welcome back. We are resuming our rolling coverage of the coronavirus pandemic but first here is a quick summary of the latest developments to kick us off.

    • British holidaymakers have been reacting to new rules requiring travellers from Spain to self-isolate for 14 days. The move is a potential setback for the Spanish tourism industry as UK visitors make up a quarter of all foreign tourists there
    • The new measures follow a surge in Covid-19 cases, which have prompted fears of a second wave of infections in Spain. France and Germany have also reported a rise in new infections
    • North Korea says a defector who returned from South Korea last week is suspected of bringing the country's first Covid-19 infection. The North has previously said it does not have a single coronavirus case, a claim which experts say is unlikely
    • The mayor of Rio de Janeiro has cancelled the city's famous New Year's Eve celebration because of the pandemic. Marcelo Crivella said he was considering alternative ways of welcoming 2021. Brazil is one of the world's worst-affected countries with more than 2.3 million infections and 86,000 deaths
    • Globally the number of cases has now passed 16 million and there have been nearly 645,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University