Denmark has been placed on the UK’s “no-go” list because of fears of a coronavirus mutation spreading from mink to humans.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, made the announcement in the early hours of Friday morning.
He said: “We have moved quickly to protect our country and prevent the spread of the virus to the UK.
“Health authorities in Denmark have reported widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms, with a variant strain of the virus spreading to some local communities.
“The chief medical officer [Professor Chris Whitty] has therefore recommended that, as precautionary measure, all those returning from Denmark should self-isolate for 14 days.”
The order to remove Denmark’s quarantine exemption took effect at 4am, giving no opportunity for British travellers to return without the need to quarantine.
Denmark is the world’s leading producer of mink fur. This week, the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said all 17 million mink at farms in the country would be culled.
The quarantine decision will affect relatively few people. The Danish government had already deemed the UK to be a “banned” country, with only travellers with a “worthy” purpose permitted to enter Denmark.
But the move shows the unpredictability of the UK government’s travel restrictions.
Eight hours earlier, Mr Shapps had made his regular Thursday evening statement about additions to the quarantine list. The transport secretary added Germany and Sweden – but travellers in either country have until 4am on Saturday to return home.
British Airways has cancelled many flights after this week to Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Hamburg in Germany, and Gothenburg in Sweden.
