Travel to the UK from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde has been banned - here's why

A ban on travellers to the UK from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde came into place at 4am on Friday morning (15 Jan), after a new Covid variant was found in Brazil.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said that the decision to ban travel from these destinations “follows the discovery of a new coronavirus variant first identified in Brazil, that may have spread to countries with strong travel links to Brazil.”

Which countries are included in the travel ban?

The new travel ban applies to people who have travelled from - or through - the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days.

Panama, Cape Verde and Portugal - including the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores - are also included in the ban.

However, British and Irish citizens, and foreign nationals with residence rights will still be able to travel to the UK, but they must isolate for a period of 10 days on arrival.

People who live with someone who has travelled from one of the banned countries also have to self-isolate for 10 days.