In a series of tweets, Shapps said data showed the countries needed to be removed from the government’s list of "coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates down".
Passengers who arrive in the UK after 4am on Saturday from these three destinations will now need to self-isolate for 14 days.
https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1296477770252419073
Elsewhere, Shapps confirmed Portugal would now be added to the list of travel corridor countries.
"As with all air bridge countries, please be aware that things can change quickly," he added. "Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly 14-day quarantine if required (I speak from experience!)"
https://twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1296477958144761859
The Department for Transport said in a statement: “Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in all three destinations, leading to ministers removing these destinations from the current list of travel corridors.”
The Foreign Office (FCO) has also updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Croatia, Austria, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive at Advantage Travel Partnership commented: “To have such a popular destination like Portugal added to the ‘safe list’ of travel corridors is of course positive news for British travellers and the wider industry.
"However, with Croatia now removed so soon after France and Malta, the constant changes made to this list is causing confusion and denting consumer confidence even further. Currently we are trading 75% down year to date, which demonstrates how dire the situation is. Europe is rapidly becoming smaller, however, there are still some amazing destinations that remain on the ‘safe list’ that do not require travellers to quarantine on their outbound or return journey, including Italy.
"What’s more, there are some incredible countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Latvia that are deemed safe to travel by the UK Government, so this could be a great opportunity for travel agents to sell these destinations to travellers who were planning to go abroad, but who may not have previously considered these places before."
