Quarantine: Which countries could be next on post-travel quarantine lists?

Countries remaining on quarantine-exempt list including Luxembourg, Belgium, Croatia and more report surge in Covid-19 infections

England and Scotland last week imposed an abrupt 14-day quarantine on all travellers arriving from Spain as coronavirus cases in the country surged. With more countries across Europe and the world experiencing upticks in infections, holidaymakers are anxious to know what country might be removed from the quarantine-exempt list next?

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the countries with the highest 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 include Luxembourg, Belgium, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.

Spain has reported 50.7 cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days, whilst Belgium reported 31.8 cases, the Czech Republic reported 24.6 and Croatia 23.8.

Belgium could be on the verge of being added to the mandatory quarantine list after other countries issued negative travel advice to citizens travelling there this week.

Mandatory quarantines have been imposed on travellers arriving in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from Belgium, and the Netherlands has warned citizens to steer away from going for a holiday in Antwerp.

A rise in the number of cases in Croatia prompted the country’s tourist board to issue a statement on Wednesday, assuring travellers it was still “extremely safe” and that the outbreaks had been largely confined to the far eastern regions, away from popular coastal tourist spots.

In the Czech Republic, health officials reported the highest daily rise in nearly a month as the number of active coronavirus infections topped 5,000 for the first time.

The surge in infections across Europe come as travellers move across the continent for the summer holidays, triggering fears of a second wave.

Further afield from Europe, countries such as Australia and Vietnam are also reporting higher numbers of infections but remain on the quarantine exemption lists.

Australia suffered its worst day of the pandemic so far, recording over 700 new infections and 13 deaths from Covid-19 in Victoria, where the capital, Melbourne, has been locked down since earlier this month.

Vietnam, which has been lauded for its largely successful strategy to keep the virus under control, is experiencing a new outbreak after over 30 people tested positive in the country’s third largest city, Da Nang.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to advise British travellers against non-essential international travel, and urges citizens travelling abroad to check the coronavirus advice for the countries they are planning to visit.