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Coronavirus: Holiday hotspots taken off UK's COVID-19 quarantine list

The Maldives, Canary Islands, Mykonos and Denmark have been removed from the UK's quarantine list.

This means people will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days when returning from these places from 4am on Sunday.

This could lead to a surge of bookings for October half-term breaks and holidaymakers seeking winter sun.

Lichtenstein is the only country to lose its quarantine exemption this week - starting from the same date and time.

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Andrew Flintham, managing director of Tui UK & Ireland, said the reintroduction of the Canary Islands to the travel corridor list was a "positive step".

He said: "We haven't been able to take people on a Tui holiday to the Canary Islands for 89 days, when the sudden quarantine and subsequent travel advice was imposed with little notice.

"We're therefore delighted that UK flights will now resume from Saturday 24 October.

"We urge the Government to continue to work closely with the industry on airport testing so we can open up more destinations in the coming weeks."

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Derek Jones, chief executive of tourism firm Kuoni, also welcomed the addition of more countries to the government's travel corridor list.

He said: "This is a very welcome development. We are anticipating a surge in demand for Maldives holidays."

The news comes just seven days after the removal of Italy's exemption in a further blow to the UK's travel industry.

Last week, Italy introduced compulsory coronavirus testing for arriving UK visitors.

Arrivals from European countries such as the UK, France and Spain must provide evidence of a negative test taken in the 72 hours prior to travel.

Visitors unable to provide proof of a negative result at the border have to take a test in Italy.

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