'High-value business travellers' granted quarantine exemption

Transport secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the move in a tweet posted shortly after 5pm on Thursday (3 December), which he said would "allow more travel to support the economy and jobs".

Several other professions will be exempted, including performing arts professionals, journalists – and "recently signed elite sportspersons".

The new exemptions will come into effect from 4am on Saturday (5 December).

It says in the guidance the exemption for business travellers applies to individuals undertaking specific business activity which would deliver a significant benefit to the UK economy – including activity that creates or preserves 50+ UK jobs.

Individuals will only be exempt when undertaking the specific business activity and will only be able to meet with others as required by that specific activity. Further information will be available on gov.uk when these exemptions come into force, it said.

Shapps also confirmed no countries would be added or removed from the government’s travel corridor list this week in his usual 5pm Thursday update via Twitter.