As of 1pm Friday 29 January, travellers who have been in or transited through the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Burundi and Rwanda in the last 10 days will not be allowed entry into the UK.

However, this excludes British and Irish nationals, or those with residency rights in the UK. Instead they can enter but must self-isolate for 10 days at home, along with their household.

Those returning from these ‘red list’ destinations won’t be able to use the Test to Release service which cuts isolation time.

The government also confirmed there will be a flight ban on direct passenger flights from the UAE but exemptions, such as for business travel remain.

It comes as a new coronavirus variant, first discovered in South Africa, may have spread to the UAE, Burundi and Rwanda.

Earlier this week the government announced that travellers from ‘red list’ countries with known coronavirus variants will be placed in quarantine hotels upon arrival in the UK. This policy detail is still being worked out.