Czech Republic, Switzerland, Jamaica added to Britain's quarantine list as of Saturday

Prague, Aug 27 (CTK) — The United Kingdom will remove the Czech Republic from its list of safe countries as of Saturday.

Travelers arriving in the UK from the Czech Republic, as well as from Jamaica and Switzerland, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. The rules will come into effect across all three countries from 5 am on Saturday, August 29.

Britons have been advised against all but essential travel to these countries.

However, the Czech Republic still hopes to negotiate a change, Czech health officials said at a press conference Thursday evening which also issued new recommendations for Czech tourists currently visiting certain holiday destinations.

Chief public health officer Jarmila Razova and Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek recommended Czech tourists in France and Croatia steer clear of places with large crowds, such as bars and night clubs, that they wear face masks, keep social distance and wash hands frequently.

The Czech Republic will not impose the COVID test duty on Czechs returning from Croatia by September 7 at least, they said.

“The debate about Croatia was far from easy today. In Croatia, there are at least 60,000 Czechs now, which we took into account,” Smolek said.

Smolek said the Split-Dalmatia province remains a risky region, where the Croatians themselves have toughened anti-virus measures. Face masks are compulsory there not only in shops and public transport but also in restaurants.

In France, the infection risk is higher in the Ile-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur areas, Smolek said.

COVID-19 tests remain mandatory for travelers arriving from Spain and Romania, while workers coming from Belgium and Bulgaria, who are employed in the Czech Republic, will no longer need them, Razova and Smolek said at Thursday’s press briefing.

Smolek said that Malta has put the Czech Republic on the yellow list of moderate risk countries as of Saturday.

The Czech Republic will not change the status for Malta but will continue to monitor the situation, he added.

It was also announced that the Czech Republic will soften the COVID-19 test requirement for foreign workers. The test will now no longer be mandatory for local employees returning from Belgium and Bulgaria.

Nevertheless, local employers will have to secure the testing of workers from Malta and Luxembourg. In the case of Malta, it is part of reciprocal measures for its raising the Czech Republic’s risk rating, although the coronavirus incidence in Malta is similar to that of the Czech Republic, Smolek said.

The tests are also compulsory for workers coming from the countries labeled as risk and from non-EU states.