European countries reimpose travel restrictions as cases rise

Oliver Smith
·30 min read
belgium - getty
belgium - getty

With the UK expected to remove Belgium from its quarantine-free "green" list, other European countries are also reimposing travel restrictions.

Belgium, the Netherlands and Andorra have been removed from Finland's green travel list, putting a stop to tourists arriving from those countries.

Meanwhile, Norway has reimposed a 10-day quarantine for arrivals from France, Monaco, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and some Swedish regions.

Switzerland has also expanded its list of countries from which people arriving must enter a 10-day quarantine to all outside Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, with the exception of Australia, Ireland, Japan, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand.

Another nation at risk of being removed from the FCO's green list is Malta. Along with Belgium, it has seen its case rates treble in the last month, putting them above Portugal and Sweden – both of which are excluded from the UK's quarantine-free list.

A decision by the Government is expected within the next 24 hours when ministers consider the latest data as part of their weekly review of quarantine.

Scroll down for the latest travel updates.

04:07 PM

Today's top stories

A lot happened today. Here's what we learnt:

  • France records two-month high in new cases
  • Switzerland, Norway and Finland expand quarantine list
  • Canary Islands will cover costs if you catch Covid on holiday
  • Holiday prices plummet for trips to Italy and Greece
  • Ryanair faces ban from Italy over 'failure to follow Covid rules'
  • Eurostar relaunches direct service to Disneyland Paris 
  • New York City announces quarantine checkpoints 

03:56 PM

A look at today's beaches

 It's alright for some. 

holland - afp
spain - JAVIER ETXEZARRETA/Shutterstock
germany - Bernd Wuestneck/dpa

03:40 PM

France holidays face quarantine risk after two-month high in new cases

France has recorded its highest daily number of new Covid-19 cases since June, raising the prospect of it joining Spain on the Foreign Office's (FCO) quarantine "red" list. 

The summer holiday favourite reported 1,695 positive tests during a 24-hour period on Wednesday, only slightly fewer than the 1,772 seen in Spain. Over the past 14 days it has seen 22.4 new cases per 100,000 residents – up from around 13 a week ago (when Spain was removed from the quarantine-free "green" list its figure was around 35 per 100,000; it has since risen to 78). 

Should France be unable to stem the rise, the FCO could add it to its list of countries from which returning holidaymakers must self-isolate for two weeks – a move which would force thousands of Britons to cancel their breaks.

Measures across the Channel aimed at tackling the uptick include the introduction of mandatory face masks on the streets of Toulouse, with other cities – including Paris – expected to follow suit. New Covid-19 deaths remain low in both France and Spain, but this factor doesn't appear to be influencing the FCO's quarantine policy. 

03:22 PM

Switzerland expands quarantine list

 Switzerland has expanded its list of countries from which people arriving must enter a 10-day quarantine to all outside Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, barring a score of exceptions, the government said today.

The exceptions include Australia, Ireland, Japan, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand.

The move, which aims to curb the spread of the coronavirus, takes effect on Saturday. It tightens a list that was expanded only on Wednesday, when mainland Spain was added.

03:06 PM

Cruise passengers and crew test negative for Covid-19 after confirmed case on previous sailing

Every passenger and crew member on a cruise ship in Norway have tested negative for Covid-19 after a case was confirmed on a previous sailing.

The news will come as a huge relief to the operator, Oslo-based SeaDream Yacht Club, as well as cruise enthusiasts concerned that a series of coronavirus incidents across multiple lines would further damage the industry and its fitful restart.

The voyage on SeaDream I was immediately cancelled on Tuesday – with the line citing “an abundance of caution for the decision – after it emerged that a previous passenger, a woman from Denmark, had tested positive for the virus.

Ben Parker has the full story.

02:50 PM

What a trip to Hiroshima will teach you, 75 years on

Chris Leadbeater, on the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, offers his memories of visiting the city:

I am not sure what I was expecting. Not a historical theme park devoted to the summer of 1945, certainly – but not what I encountered either. For the first few hours, I could not fully identify what I found so unnerving – emerging from the train station to which the shinkansen had delivered me at astonishing speed; the neon signs and relentless glow of the shops around the centre, the apartment buildings above them angular and anonymous.

And then it struck me, as a delayed reaction. The shocking thing about Hiroshima is its uniform newness. Its flatpack rebirth as a symbol of 20th and 21st century Japan. Because it had to be that way. Because almost everything that came before was deleted at a stroke.

Read the full story.

02:36 PM

The summer staycation guide to... Kent

While the crowds converge on Cornwall, Kent sits pretty in quiet seclusion – the perfect escape for a socially-distanced break. Sure, there are busy tourist sights, from Canterbury Cathedral to the sunny strands at Margate, but there's also the Kent only locals know about, with old-fashioned country pubs, tree-shaded trails and beaches that see more seagulls than sunbathers. 

Let Joe Bindloss be your guide. 

There are ruins to explore  - Getty

02:15 PM

Italy may be your safest bet for summer

While France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are reporting lots of new cases, Italy has seen no sign of a second spike. It might just be your safest option for a last-minute summer holiday. 

02:03 PM

Where in France are cases rising?

The map below shows the regions of France seeing the most Covid-related hospitalisations. The south-west of the country, and the uncrowded Auvergne, look among the least affected regions, while the more densely populated northern and southern areas are among the worst hit.

02:01 PM

Canary Islands will cover costs if you catch Covid on holiday

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Spain, making insurance tricky to find, but the Canary Islands has sought to reassure potential visitors by offering to cover all related costs should they catch the virus there. 

"It will help the economic recovery of the archipelago," Yaiza Castilla, the region's minister for tourism, said in a video posted on Twitter. 

Emma Featherstone has the full story. 

01:55 PM

The 28 places in Europe you can visit right now

Belgium could be removed at any moment, but right now these are the 28 countries in Europe you can visit without significant restrictions:

  1. Andorra
  2. Austria
  3. Belgium
  4. Croatia
  5. Czech Republic
  6. Denmark 
  7. Estonia 
  8. Faroe Islands (Visitors required to take Covid-19 test at airport on arrival)
  9. France
  10. Germany
  11. Gibraltar
  12. Greece 
  13. Iceland (Open to tourists, but all arrivals must choose to pay to be tested for coronavirus or self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Children born in 2005 or later are exempt)
  14. Italy
  15. Latvia
  16. Liechtenstein
  17. Lithuania
  18. Malta 
  19. Monaco 
  20. Netherlands 
  21. Norway
  22. Poland
  23. San Marino
  24. Slovakia 
  25. Slovenia 
  26. Switzerland
  27. Turkey
  28. Vatican City

01:46 PM

Scots 'should woo English to save tourism businesses'

Scottish tourism businesses have been advised to target people from the UK and Germany as they try to recover from the lockdown. 

The Press Association reports that, as part of a major data project, Edinburgh Business School is helping with a recovery plan for the tourism industry by highlighting which visitors are most interested in travelling to Scotland and can afford it.

The project, in association with the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, shows UK visitors are the largest group interested and able to afford a visit.

Looking outside the UK, the project said Germany should be targeted next as data showed that visitors were showing a strong interest and would not have to self-isolate on arrival.

The news comes a month after Scottish nationalist held a protest at the border with England demanding a quarantine on all non-essential visitors from its neighbour to the south.

01:40 PM

The UK hotel taking socially distanced dining to the extreme

Birmingham aparthotel Staying Cool at the Rotunda and fine dining restaurant Wilderness have combined to offer a pop-up for the post-lockdown age. Lizzie Frainier has the full story. 

Hotels around the UK have been busy adapting to the new normal

01:28 PM

Brussels to impose stricter face mask rules if cases continue to rise

The Belgian capital, Brussels, will require people to wear masks in public spaces, and in private spaces accessible to the public, if the uptick in coronavirus cases continues, its regional government has said.

The order will come if the daily average of cases per 100,000 inhabitants reaches 50 over seven days, Rudi Vervoort, the minister-president of the Brussels region, said. The daily average in the region was 38.4 last week.

Belgium imposed fresh curbs on social contacts on July 27. The UK Government is soon expected to impose a quarantine on arrivals from Belgium, following the lead of Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and Norway.

01:16 PM

Travel firm collapses rise to 16

In what will come as a surprise to precisely no one, travel firm failures have soared since the start of the pandemic, and the subsequent global lockdown. Harris Holidays, which traded as Ski Weekends, this week became at least the 16th Atol member to collapse since March. Here's the full list:

  • Ski Weekends
  • Christopher Pollard Tours
  • Air Viceroy
  • South Quay Travel & Leisure
  • David Urquhart Sky Travel 
  • Fleetway Travel 
  • Pan Express Business Travel
  • Jacada Travel 
  • Shearings Holidays
  • On Tour Travel
  • Enjoy Travel
  • Colouricious Limited
  • Paragon Hospitality
  • Chaka Travel
  • Westeast Travel 
  • Can Be Done

01:00 PM

Malta rejects infection fears

With the Government considering whether to remove Malta from its list of quarantine-free travel options, the Mediterranean island's Tourism Authority has claimed that Malta is doing more testing than almost all other European countries.

"Tourism is important for us, but the safety of our people and the people who visit us is more important and we would never put people in jeopardy," it added in a statement.

"The small number of cases in Malta vis-à-vis the size of the population can easily give a skewed impression of the actual situation. We trust that all governments will analyse the figures intelligently and we are open to all discussions to ensure that we can mitigate any concern."

12:56 PM

Covid around the world

  • Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike is expected to urge residents of the Japanese capital to stay at home as much as possible over an upcoming major holiday amid a rise in coronavirus cases.
  • A new outbreak in Vietnam has spread to two more provinces, the country's health minister has said, after the contagion was declared "under control" in the central city where the outbreak began.
  • North Korea's test results for its first suspected case were inconclusive, though authorities have still quarantined over 3,635 primary and secondary contacts, a WHO official told Reuters.
  • Gambia has imposed a three-week curfew after cases rose by over 60 per cent in the last seven days to nearly 800.
  • Three South African provinces considered hotspots have seen new infections slow in recent weeks, the health minister said.
  • Doctors in Turkey's hotspots say hospitals are filling up with more cases than reflected in the official nationwide count.

See The Telegraph's main coronavirus blog for more of the latest news. 

12:50 PM

Masks and mosques

Tourist capture the dazzling interior of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The building controversially became a mosque last month after nearly 90 years as a museum, but it remains open to non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times. 

The Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum by modern Turkey’s founder, Ataturk, in 1934 - Getty

12:45 PM

Holiday prices plummet for trips to Italy and Greece

Average prices for holidays to Italy have fallen by 52 per cent in the two weeks since the Government put travel to Spain on hold. The cost of trips to Greece has also fallen, by 28 per cent, according to the holiday comparison website TravelSupermarket. 

It means Britons willing to book a last-minute break look certain to find a bargain, with rates as low as £116 per person, with On the Beach, for a seven-night stay in Corfu. 

TravelSupermarket's Emma Coulturst said interest had shifted towards alternatives to Spain, and with their low infection rates Italy and Greece are finding favour. 

Tempted? Read Nick Trend's holiday checklist before you book. 

12:34 PM

'The FCO made a big mistake banning trips to Spain's islands'

All the talk is of removing countries from the quarantine-free "green" list – but what about adding some destinations? Greg Dickinson says the Canary Islands should be at the front of the queue:

Why can't we apply a sensible quarantine policy like our European neighbours? Yesterday, Switzerland introduced a ten-day travel ban for anyone arriving into the country from Spain, but the Canaries and Balearics are exempt. Germany also updated its travel quarantine list last week to include areas of Spain with a high incident of Covid-19 (Aragon, Catalonia, Navarre), but exempted the lower-risk regions and the islands, too.

Other countries are pursuing a region-by-region travel policy. Last week, the Netherlands put the Belgian city and province of Antwerp on its "code orange" list, meaning people must come back immediately and quarantine on return. The rest of Belgium is fair game.

Read the full story. 

12:19 PM

Could trips to Sweden soon be given the green light?

Sweden, the Marmite of the pandemic, has won both praise and scorn for its government's relatively hands-off approach. But while cases are rising sharply in countries where lockdown was strict (such as Spain and France), in Sweden they are still falling.

The Foreign Office still advises against all trips to the Scandinavian country, but its infection rate (29.5 cases per 100,000 during the past fortnight) is lower than some nations on the green list (namely, Malta and Belgium) – and dropping. Should it fall much further it would only be fair to lift travel restrictions. 

12:15 PM

Pub closures in Ireland spark outrage

Nicola Brady says there is anger and dismay in Ireland after its government pulled the plug on plans to reopen pubs:

To say that the news was met with outrage would probably be understating it. 

There’s something a little trite about saying the Irish pub is at the heart of every community. But it’s true. A pub is far more than just a place to sink a few pints – for many, particularly in the countryside, it may well be all you have (unless you want to hang out in the post office). The rural pub is a vital social lifeline. 

And that’s not taking into account the publicans, who have lost a colossal amount of money since they closed on March 15, just two days before Paddy’s Day. They will be closed for at least half a year. And yet, no support package has been offered. 

The news also comes at a point where we, as a country, are getting pretty sick of our ever-confusing path out of lockdown. We can, technically, go to a pub – provided the pub in question serves food, we eat a “substantial meal” that costs at least €9 (£8.10), and only stay for 105 minutes. And that’s without going into the complicated distancing rules that change according to whether or not you pre-book a table (they veer so closely to a GCSE maths question that I can never quite decipher them).  

Read the full story. 

12:05 PM

Posh New York hotel launches $3,500 quarantine package

Emma Beaumont reports that swish Brooklyn hotel, The William Vale, has launched a pricey package for guests required to quarantine on arrival in New York. Currently, visitors from 34 "red-zone" states must self-isolate for 14 days or face fines of up to $10,000 (£7,600).

The hotel's "Q with a View" offer includes a private transfer from the airport, virtual workout classes and contactless housekeeping – sheets, towels and toiletries will be dropped off at the door. The designated quarantine rooms are spread over two floors and all have a balcony with seating area to stop cabin fever setting in. Unfortunately, quarantining guests will not be able to make use of the hotel's popular outdoor pool or lively bars and if they do leave their rooms, they must wear a mask. The package costs from $3,500 (£2,630), but guests will likely rack up a heftier bill with two weeks' worth of room service.

The view from one of the hotel's bedrooms

11:56 AM

Dutch leave

Another country that could enter the Government's quarantine conversation is the Netherlands. Cases – but not deaths – have risen sharply in recent days.

Our correspondent in Amsterdam, Greg Dickinson, reported yesterday on the introduction of new face mask rules in the city's busiest areas. The move came as something of a surprise, with Dutch public officials last week appearing to reiterate the position they have adopted since March: "There's no scientific evidence for the efficacy of non-medical masks," they said.

11:47 AM

Where to have a mask-free holiday

More and more countries, including Spain, France and Turkey, are making face masks mandatory in outdoor spaces. But a handful of European nations don't even enforce mask wearing on public transport. They include Finland, Norway and – of course – Sweden. 

11:37 AM

Don't look down

Visitors ride the Double Shot at Playland's Castaway Cove amusement park in Ocean City, New Jersey. From California's wine country to Colorado's ski towns and Florida's beaches, American towns and cities that built their economies around tourists are being upended by Covid-19.

America's economy has fallen fast - Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

11:24 AM

Tourism-reliant Thailand shelves 'travel bubble' plan

Thailand has delayed plans for a "travel bubble" with the likes of Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea as coronavirus cases rise across Asia.

It first proposed the idea, which would permit quarantine-free travel to and from selected countries, in June as it sought to save its vital tourism industry and revive its economy.

But that plan has been shelved, officials said. "We are delaying discussion of travel bubble arrangements for now given the outbreak situation in other countries," Thailand's coronavirus taskforce spokesman, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, told Reuters.

Foreign arrivals plunged 66 per cent in the first six months of the year, to 6.69 million. By comparison, Thailand had a record 39.8 million tourists during the whole of 2019. 

11:15 AM

Ryanair faces ban from Italy over 'failure to follow Covid rules'

Hugh Morris reports that Italy's civil aviation authority could ban Ryanair from the country over allegedly ignoring coronavirus safety rules. 

Airlines operating in Italy can only operate at more than 50 per cent capacity if they abide by other regulations. The Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile claimed Ryanair was failing to do so and threatened to "suspend all air transport activities at national airports, requiring the carrier to re-route all passengers already in possession of tickets".

Ryanair, which today restored 60 per cent of its original flying schedule for August, refuted the claims, describing them as "factually incorrect".

Read the full report. 

11:07 AM

A picture from Prague

The sun sets near the Charles Bridge in the Czech capital, Prague. 

A tourist snaps the scene - Shutterstock

The number of currently infected patients in the Czech Republic is now 4.923, the most since the beginning of pandemic in March. Should cases continue to rise it could also find itself on the UK's quarantine naughty step. 

The following countries are currently on the "travel corridor" list but have a rate of new cases per 100,000 (over the last 14 days) significantly higher than the UK: 

  • Belgium (49.6)
  • Malta (30)
  • Czech Republic (27.8)
  • Netherlands (22.5)
  • France (22.4)

10:59 AM

Lufthansa expects four-year slump for air travel

The German airline Lufthansa does not expect demand to return to pre-coronavirus levels until at least 2024.

The carrier carried 96 per cent fewer passengers between April and June than a year earlier, leading to an 80 per cent fall in second-quarter revenue. 

Tentative signs of a European recovery now appear threatened by new localised outbreaks and restrictions, while long-haul flights remain largely grounded.

"We do not expect demand to return to pre-crisis levels before 2024," said chief executive Carsten Spohr.

10:52 AM

'Australia's hysterical response to this pandemic is downright bonkers'

With the state of Victoria starting a draconian new lockdown this week, Aussie resident Robert Fenwick Elliott is furious.

Internationally, the image of Australia tends to be shaped by famous Australians: typically inventive, funny, and somewhat anarchic. Clive James. Barry Humphries. Paul Hogan. But these are the sort who left the country long ago to settle elsewhere. By evaporation effect, the average Australian left behind tends to be far from precocious, but instead overcautious; bizarrely so.

Unsurprisingly, Covid-19 has reached Australia, but much less so than other places in the world. The death toll to date in the whole country is tiny: still less than 250 people, most of these in Victoria. On a typical day, more people than that are dead by lunchtime from the more usual causes of death: heart disease, cancer and dementia being the predominant ones – way, way ahead of Covid-19; as are flu and suicide. 

Indeed, Covid-19 makes up less than half a per cent of the current deaths occurring in Australia, which does not even put it in the top 20 causes of mortality. It is downright bonkers, on these numbers, to accelerate to panic.

Read the full story.

10:47 AM

Belgium facing the chop

The Government will be looking closely at rising cases in France, but one country that appears likely to be removed from the quarantine "green" list this week is Belgium. It sits above France in terms of infection rate, but also Portugal and Sweden – both of which are excluded from the UK's quarantine-free list. 

While Belgium is not a hugely popular summer holiday option, cities like Bruges attract a fair number of weekend visitors. 

10:40 AM

Past the peak?

Tourists wearing masks line up to take the Gornergrat Railway in Zermatt, Switzerland. That's the Matterhorn in the background, of course.

Switzerland is a lofty option for summer - Shutterstock

10:35 AM

Could Covid sniffer dogs help the UK ditch its quarantine?

People with mild coronavirus symptoms in the North West are being encouraged to participate in a trial which aims to see whether dogs can sniff out Covid-19. The Press Association reports that, if the trial is successful, the dogs could be used at UK airports to screen people arriving from abroad.

Claire Guest, chief executive of Medical Detection Dogs, said: "It is vital that we train our dogs to detect the odour of Covid-19 as soon as possible so we can help ensure people move about freely and safely."

Professor Steve Lindsay, from the Department of Biosciences at Durham University, added: "If we can show that our trained dogs can identify people carrying the virus, but who are not sick, it will be a game changer.

"We will then be able to scale-up the use of dogs at ports of entry to identify travellers entering the country with the virus. This could be very important to help prevent a second wave of the epidemic."

10:20 AM

Germany tightens up on testing as infection numbers rise

Travellers returning to Germany from high-risk regions will face mandatory coronavirus tests from Saturday, Health Minister Jens Spahn has said, warning that the accelerating pace of new infections was a cause for concern.

Speaking after daily cases rose above 1,000 for the first time since May, Spahn blamed both the impact of travellers returning from abroad and people's flagging adherence to social distancing guidelines, although he conceded that increased testing was also partly responsible.

10:14 AM

'The pandemic will change customer service forever'

That's according to our reporter Hugh Morris, who believes yelling on social media has lost its sting: 

Over the last decade, social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter) has empowered consumers enormously, giving individuals a voice and helping right many wrongs that otherwise might have been ignored. 

Nowadays, no company is so bold and ruthless that they can allow a public shaming without at least pretending to help. Not even Ryanair.  

But has all this progress in the fight for customer rights been undone by the pandemic? Possibly.

So vast and varied have been the complaints over the last six months, that sending a message in capital letters to British Airways on Twitter about your lost bag will probably just fall by the wayside.

Read the full story. 

10:04 AM

Secret seaside: 10 UK alternatives to crowded Cornwall

Millions of Britons are swapping their usual holiday in the Med for a summer staycation. But with Cornwall and Devon oversubscribed, where can you go for peace and quiet? Our UK experts suggest their favourite lesser-known corners. 

The coast near Kimmeridge Bay - Getty

09:57 AM

Croatia stems rise in new cases

Last month Croatia saw a spike in new cases, raising the possibility that British visitors would be told to self-isolate on their return to the UK. However, recent days have seen lower numbers. Croatia has had 22 positive tests per 100,000 residents during the last fortnight, down from almost 30 a week ago.

09:49 AM

Windsor Castle gardens to welcome visitors for first time in decades

From Saturday, the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle, created by George IV in the 1820s, will open to visitors for the first time more than 40 years.

The large formal garden, overlooked by Windsor Castle’s famous east façade, features clipped domes of yew and beds of 3,500 rose bushes planted in a geometric pattern around a central fountain. On weekends in August and September, visitors with tickets to Windsor Castle will be able to explore the garden and enjoy the view from its terraces across the surrounding area.

A gardener does a spot of pruning

09:43 AM

Ryanair adds more flights for August

The low-cost behemoth Ryanair will operate around 60 per cent of its usual flight schedule next month as travellers across Europe slowly return to the skies. That adds up to more than 1,600 routes and over 11,000 weekly flights across its network.

CEO Eddie Wilson said: "Since the resumption of our schedule in late June, passenger numbers have continued to grow and as a result, we're delighted to announce that our flight schedule is set to increase to more than 60 per cent in August.

"We were pleased to see our people and customers adopt to our healthy flying measures, and encourage all those travelling with us in August to continue to do so."

09:35 AM

Malta would be 'brought to its knees' by a travel ban

With the Government considering whether to remove Malta from its quarantine-free travel list, Juliet Rix says the country will be devastated if the British cannot visit this summer:

The glowing Mediterranean sun is sadly not the only thing rising each morning in Malta at the moment; the country's number of Covid-19 cases is climbing after many weeks close to zero.

Ireland removed the Maltese archipelago from its Green List on Tuesday – meaning anyone returning from Malta must now quarantine for 14 days, while Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have taken similar steps.

Far more concerning for Malta, however, is the fear that the UK might follow suit, dealing a huge blow to the EU's smallest nation which derives nearly a third of its GDP from tourists, many of them British.

A former British colony where English is still an official language and red letter boxes stand bright and incongruous against honeyed limestone facades, Malta welcomed 650,000 British visitors last year.

Read her full report. 

09:26 AM

How to behave on holiday without disgracing yourself – and your country

Like the tourist who broke a 200-year-old sculpture while posing for a photo in Italy, you may need a post-Covid primer in holiday etiquette, according to Charlotte Lytton. Read her tips. 

Do Britain proud this summer

09:13 AM

Germans told to avoid travel to Belgian region

Germany's foreign ministry has revised its travel guidance for Belgium, warning against all non-essential travel to the province of Antwerp following a spike in Covid-19 cases. 

The move comes with the UK poised to review its own travel policy – and Belgium is thought to be in the FCO's crosshairs.

Britain has favoured a less targeted approach than Germany when it comes to quarantine-free "travel corridors". The whole of Portugal was ditched after a rise in cases around Lisbon, while all of Spain is off-limits despite the infection rate of the Canary Islands being far lower than Britain's. 

09:02 AM

Eurostar relaunches direct service to Disneyland Paris

Families rejoice: Eurostar has restarted its direct service from London to Marne-la-Vallée, gateway to Disneyland Paris. One-way fares cost from £39. 

The theme park reopened to tourists last month. Expect fewer queues, but lots of masks and hand sanitiser. 

08:52 AM

Ski firm goes bust

Ski Weekends,  a leading winter holiday operator, has been placed into administration, with the global lockdown blamed. 

The firm had been in business for more than 30 years, offering trips from 17 UK airports to ski resorts across Europe. But it was hit hard during the Covid crisis and unable to raise the necessary finance to refund all its customers whose holidays were cancelled. 

"We have been failed by all the government schemes and a business that was a going concern in its format has now gone," managing director Dan Fox told the website PlanetSKI. "I have tried everything in my power to keep the business going, but have been unable to. On a personal level I have lost much money and it has been devastating."

According to the CAA, 16 Atol-protected travel companies have gone bust since March. Many more are likely to follow. 

08:43 AM

Are Greek holidays under threat?

Greece's prime minister warned of new restrictions on Wednesday if a recent rise in daily cases does not abate. Fresh infections remain low compared with other European countries (and deaths are still few and far between) but the increase is clear to see. Currently the FCO has no warnings against travel to the country, however.

08:37 AM

The 'safest' options for a summer holiday

With Portugal and Spain still off the menu, and cases rising in France and Malta, where can you have a last-minute summer holiday that won't turn into a two-week quarantine? Italy looks like a fine option, along with much of Scandinavia. What's more, face masks are not mandatory in Norway or Finland. 

  • Italy: 6.1 cases per 100,000 residents (last 14 days)
  • Norway: 5.5
  • Estonia: 5.2
  • Liechtenstein: 5.2
  • Finland: 2.4
  • Latvia: 2.9

08:32 AM

New York City announces quarantine checkpoints

Authorities in New York City have announced plans to establish checkpoints at bridges and tunnels to ensure that travellers from 35 other US states on a list of coronavirus hot spots comply with New York's 14-day quarantine mandate. Fines for not observing the quarantine order could be as high as $10,000 (£7,600). 

08:24 AM

Your first post-lockdown holiday

Was it worth the wait, or did social distancing rules spoil the fun? We want to know. 

08:17 AM

Lock-Down Under

Australia's second-biggest city, Melbourne, began the first day of a strict six-week lockdown on Thursday following a steep rise in Covid-19 cases. 

Our correspondent in the city, Cristian Bonetto, is understandably frustrated:

Melbourne now finds itself back at square one, with a harsher Stage 4 lockdown now underway. How does this feel exactly? Like hearing ‘False start!’ three-quarters through a Tough Mudder trail.

Expected to last a minimum of six weeks, Australia’s toughest restrictions to date include a nightly curfew between 8pm and 5am for those not at work, three-mile restrictions for all shopping and exercising, and the expected closure of non-essential retail outlets. Rumours of abattoir shutdowns have switched-up the panic buying from toilet rolls to mince.

Read his full report. 

08:07 AM

Malta and Belgium at risk

Charles Hymas reports that Belgium and Malta are at risk of being removed from the UK's quarantine-free "green" list after a rise in Covid-19 cases. Belgium has seen 49.6 new cases per 100,000 residents during the last two weeks, while in Malta the figure is 30. When Spain was placed on the quarantine naughty step, its figure stood at around 35 (it is now 78). Here's how some of Europe's most popular countries compare, according to the EDCD:

  • Spain: 78 per 100,000
  • Belgium: 49.6
  • Malta: 30
  • Sweden: 29.5
  • Portugal: 27.1
  • Netherlands: 22.5
  • France: 22.4
  • Croatia: 22
  • Germany: 11.1
  • Greece: 7.5
  • Italy: 6.1

The figure for the UK is currently 14.1.

07:54 AM

How fast are cases rising in France?

France reported 1,695 positive tests on Wednesday, the highest figure for two months, and new cases are clearly rising in the country. However, much of this change is due to increased testing and it – like other European countries – is not seeing a rise in deaths. 

07:49 AM

What happened yesterday?

Before we kick off today's updates, here's what we learnt on Wednesday:

  • Ireland's pubs are staying closed
  • Amsterdam has introduced mandatory face masks on its busiest streets
  • The Devon town of Salcombe is straining under the weight of tourists
  • Fresh cases are putting the return of cruise holidays at risk
  • Barbados wants you to move there

Check out yesterday's blog for all the details.