The Department of Transport (DoT) said the full list of countries which will be exempt from a 14-day quarantine period will be published on Friday. It is expected that details of the government’s so-called ‘traffic light’ safe travel system will also be announced later today.

However, all travellers – apart from a small list of exemptions – will still need to provide contact information on arrival to the UK, including details of destinations they have visited or passed through during the last 14 days.

Any travellers that have been in or passed through a country which is not on the exemptions list in the previous 14 days may be asked to self-isolate on return to England. The DoT said the list of countries will be kept under constant review in case there are spikes of coronavirus.

The Foreign Office has also updated its advice warning against ‘all but essential’ international travel, to exempt certain destinations that ‘no longer pose an unacceptably high risk of Covid-19’. The updated travel guidance will come into effect on Saturday and will be kept under review, added the DoT.

The exemptions will apply to passengers who have travelled home using any type of international travel, including trains, ferries and flights.

But the quarantine exemption will not apply to residents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The devolved governments are expected to set out their own travel regulations.

The government said it expects that a number of the countries on its exemptions list will also not ask UK travellers to self-isolate upon arrival, creating a so-called ‘air bridge’ between two nations.

‘This will mean that holidaymakers travelling to and from certain destinations will not need to self-isolate on either leg of their journey,’ added the DoT.

The government added that travellers should keep checking the FCO website for any updates and that existing public health advice on hand hygiene, face coverings, and social distancing must be followed.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation. Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses.

‘The entire nation has worked tirelessly to get to this stage, therefore safety must remain our watch word and we will not hesitate to move quickly to protect ourselves if infection rates rise in countries we are reconnecting with.’

The DoT added that the decision to drop the quarantine period following a risk assessment by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…