Which country could be next on UK’s quarantine list?

Three more countries will be added to the UK’s quarantine list from tomorrow as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across most of Europe.

The move means people arriving from Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Jamaica will have to self-isolate for 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The UK government has said countries where the weekly infection rate is above 20 per 100,000 are of particular concern when it decides whether to update the list.

Iceland could be the next country to be added on that basis, as figures show the country had 16.5 cases per 100,000 in the week from 17 to 23 August.

Arrivals from the tourist hotspots of Portugal and Greece could also be subjected to the measure, according to the figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The data shows Greece had a weekly infection rate of 14.2 per 100,000 in the week leading up to 23 August.

Arrivals at Heathrow Airport
Image: People arriving in the UK from countries on the quarantine list are having to self isolate

The ECDC figures suggest the number of daily infections has been rising fast in Greece. The country had 65 cases on 31 July but this number had risen to 293 on 27 August.

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Portugal had a slighter higher infection rate of 14.3 per 100,000 in the week leading up to 23 August.

Ireland has a higher rate than both Greece and Portugal with 14.6 per 100,000 people.

Poland has the fifth highest rate of those not on the quarantine list with 13.4 cases per 100,000.

Switzerland had a weekly infection rate of 19.8 cases per 100,000 before it was added to the list.

The Czech Republic had a weekly infection rate of 17.8 per 100,000.

Iceland, Ireland, Portugal and Greece therefore seem the most likely countries to join the tourist destinations of Spain and France on the quarantine list.

However, the number of infections in those countries are still far below that of Spain, which had 92.1 cases per 100,000, and France, which had 33.5 per 100,000.

Turkey had a rate of 10.9 cases per 100,000, meaning infections there would to have more or less double for it to be added to the list.

Germany, with 10.4 cases per 100,000, Cyprus, with 9.7 cases, and Italy with 7.8, also look safe from being added to the list.

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Sweden remains on the UK’s quarantine list despite cases there falling by around 10% from 19.3 per 100,000 to 17.3.

Serbia also remains on the list despite cases there falling from 23.1 per 100,000 to 15.5 per 100,000.

The cases with the lowest infection rates in Europe are Finland with 2.7 per 100,000, Hungary with 2.6 per 100,000 and Latvia with 0.9 per 100,000.

The follow countries are on the UK’s quarantine list:






Bosnia & Herzegovina



Czech Republic









The Netherlands

North Macedonia






Trinidad and Tobago

Turks and Caicos Islands



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