(BBC) – A ban on travellers to the UK from South America, Portugal and Cape Verde will come into force on Friday due to a new Covid variant identified in Brazil.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change would come into force from 04:00 GMT.
British and Irish citizens and foreign nationals with residence rights will still be able to travel but must isolate for 10 days, he said.
The decision was announced following a meeting of ministers on Thursday.
The ban applies to people who have travelled from, or through, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela in the last 10 days.
Meanwhile, the UK has reported a further 48,682 daily cases – the fourth day in a row that the figure has been below 50,000. The government website said updating the death figures had been delayed due to an issue with processing the data.
Mr Shapps said Portugal had been included “given its strong travel links with Brazil” – but there would be an exemption for hauliers travelling from the country to allow the transportation of essential goods.
He said suspending travel from that European country would act “as another way to reduce the risk of importing infections”.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “very concerned” about the Brazilian variant of the virus.
New variants of Covid-19 have previously been identified in the UK and South Africa, with many countries imposing restrictions on arrivals from both nations.
Several Central and South American nations had already restricted travel from the UK, including Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama, while others such as Argentina and Uruguay have closed their borders to non-resident foreign nationals.
The Department for Transport said under the ban, no exemptions would apply, including those for employment, and people who live with someone who has travelled from one of the banned countries will have to self-isolate for 10 days.
