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Coronavirus travel news – live: Airports could shut down within weeks, as Foreign Office warns against leaving UK

Qin Xie
Tuesday 17 March 2020 10:13 GMT
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The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has shot up by 13,903 in one day, according to the World Health Organisation, with 167,511 people around the world infected with Covid-19 as of 16 March.

As the deadly outbreak continues to spread, countries around the world are closing their borders and entering lockdown.

The FCO has extended its list of countries to avoid as new travel restrictions mean it's getting harder to get in and out of countries.

The Independent has compiled a list of the travel bans in place but for the latest, follow our coverage here...

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, almost 14,000 new cases were confirmed on 16 March according to the World Health Organisation.

Four new countries have been added to the list of infected nations: Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Rwanda and the Seychelles. 

Overnight, the FCO has extended the list of countries that British nationals should avoid non-essential travel to. 

Qin Xie17 March 2020 09:10

The FCO is warning British nationals in Tunisia to urgently leave the country.

All flights from Tunisia will be suspended from 18 March, including those to the UK. The country's coastal borders are already closed.

You should contact your airline or tour operator and "arrange to leave as soon as possible".

Qin Xie17 March 2020 09:23

Spain is currently in a State of Emergency for an indefinite period, with many local restrictions in place. 

According to the FCO: 

Transport services will be operating at reduced levels.

Public gatherings are banned, most shops, many businesses and all schools and universities are closed, and residents have been instructed to remain at home as much as possible.

There are limited, specific exceptions to the requirement to remain at home, in particular in order to buy food or other essential items, to return home to the primary residence, to go to work if unable to work from home and to carry out caring or similar duties.

In addition, from 17 March until the end of the State of Emergency, the country will be closing its land borders. Travellers will not be able to enter Spain via road unless they are Spanish citizens, residents, frontier workers or can proof they have a specific reason for entry. 

The country's air and maritime borders remain open for the time being. 

Qin Xie17 March 2020 09:43

St Patrick's Day parades across the island of Ireland have been cancelled since last week.

For those travelling to the Republic of Ireland from overseas, the country has asked everyone to restrict their movement for 14 days on arrival. This applied to Irish residents as well. However, those coming from Northern Ireland are exempt for now.

Since last week, all pubs and bars and state-run cultural institutions in the Republic of Ireland have been asked to close until at least 29 March. Indoor gatherings of 100 or more people and outdoor gatherings of 500 or more people have been cancelled. And the Irish government has advised people to avoid gatherings in private households as well. 

Qin Xie17 March 2020 09:59

DFDS has announced that it will be reducing passenger capacity by 50 per cent on sailings from Dover to Calais, and Dunkirk and Newhaven to Dieppe. However, there will not be a reduction in sailings and the schedule will stay the same.

The change will be effective immediately, until 6 April.

It's also temporarily suspending all mini cruises on the Newcastle to Amsterdam route. DFDS said "bookings up to and including this date will be automatically cancelled with immediate effect and a travel credit will be issued to use on a future sailing".

The Newcastle to Amsterdam service will continue to operate for those travelling on a transport booking, that is, those sailing with their vehicles or as foot passengers.

Qin Xie17 March 2020 10:29

Colombia has now closed its land and sea borders, including those with Ecuador.

Although airports remain open for the time being, only Colombian nationals or foreigners with residence or work visas are allowed to enter Colombia.

The FCO is currently advising non-residents to consider leaving as further travel restrictions in the region could mean British nationals will be unable to get home.

Qin Xie17 March 2020 10:45

St Lucia has announced that anyone who's not a citizen of the country, and who has been to mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Iran or the UK in the last 14 days will be banned from entry.

The country has already banned cruise ships from docking there. 

The FCO is currently advising non-resident British nationals to leave St Lucia as soon as possible as there's the possibility that it will become harder to leave the country and the region in the coming days.

Qin Xie17 March 2020 11:03

Sri Lanka has already banned travellers from the UK from entry and has stopped issuing new visas. People arriving after this date will either be turned away or placed in military supervised quarantine for 14 days.

From 17 March, the country is also suspending all inbound flights. This could affect outgoing flights as well and the FCO is warning British nationals to contact their airline. 

Passengers arriving on cruise ships will not be allowed to disembark either.

Qin Xie17 March 2020 11:19

Travellers from the UK, EU and Turkey are now banned from entering India and will not be permitted to board flights from noon GMT on 18 March.

The travel restrictions will be in place until at least 31 March. 

All existing tourism visas will be suspended at the point of departure until 15 April. 

Qin Xie17 March 2020 11:29

The FCO is now advising against non-essential travel to the Seychelles.

From 8pm GMT on 18 March, anyone who's travelled from or through the UK and the rest of the EU will not be allowed to enter the country.  

Returning residents are still allowed to enter the country but will be put into mandatory quarantine in government facilities for 14 days on arrival. 

Qin Xie17 March 2020 11:44

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