Canary Islands

UK holidaymakers on the Canary Islands have hit out at new quarantine rules which have disrupted their Christmas plans.

Travelers arriving in the UK from the popular Spanish islands from 4 am on Saturday must self-isolate for two weeks.

Tour operator TUI said it has around 5,000 UK holidaymakers on the islands, with a further 800 booked to fly out on Friday morning.

The Canary Islands were removed from the UK’s travel corridors list on Thursday amid a growing positivity rate of COVID-19 tests.

Most people returning to the UK from destinations, not on the list must self-isolate for 14 days at the moment, although that will change to 10 days from Monday.

Advertisement

This period can be shorter for people arriving in England from next Tuesday – if they pay to take a coronavirus test at least five days after they land and receive a negative result.

Steve Hay, from Bournemouth, arrived in Lanzarote on Thursday for a seven-day break worth £2,000 with his family.