Travel restrictions and self-isolation (quarantine) rules have been implemented across the UK since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of the public.

As of 15 February 2021, all arrivals to Scotland from outside the Common Travel Area must book and pay for managed isolation in quarantine hotels. All travellers must quarantine for at least ten days and will be tested twice for the virus, on days two and eight after arrival. These measures have been announced to reduce both the risk of COVID-19 transmission and decrease the risk of importing new variants. Guidance concerning quarantine for travellers arriving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is also available.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides guidance on travelling abroad, including the latest information on COVID-19 and other non-COVID-19 risks such as safety and security, entry requirements, and travel warnings. This guidance is being kept under constant review and may change at short notice.

Country specific COVID-19 risk

The fitfortravel (for the general public) and TRAVAX (for health professionals) country pages have been updated to include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating, with every country being identified as high, moderate or low risk and each rating accompanied by appropriate travel advice. This information will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section on each country page of fitfortravel and the 'Emerging Health Risks' section of every TRAVAX country page. This risk-rating is based on a robust public health assessment of the COVID-19 risks for travellers to each country and is regularly reviewed.

From 18 February, the COVID-19 risk for UK travellers was increased in: 

• Antigua and Barbuda 
• Barbados 
• Finland 
• Macao 
• Maldives 
• Saudi Arabia 
• Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Advice for travellers

Before planning or booking international travel, travellers should consider if their journey is essential and legally permitted.  The following sources should be consulted both prior to travel and during the trip, as guidance may change at short notice: 

• the FCDO website, for country specific Travel Advisory Notices regarding travel and entry restrictions, and review the local medical care available at your destination 
• the COVID-19 risk-rating at your destination, which will be listed in the ‘Alerts’ section of all fitfortravel country pages and the ‘Emerging Health Risks’ section of all TRAVAX country pages 
• the TRAVAX travel insurance page, as such insurance should be considered essential 
• the fitfortravel COVID-19 health considerations for travel page 
• the UK Border Control website, in order to check current rules regarding self-isolation (quarantine) before your planned return to the UK 
• requirements for COVID-19 testing at their destination prior to return to the UK

Information relating to travel and COVID-19 is available on the TRAVAX (for healthcare practitioners) and fitfortravel (for the public) websites.

Information on COVID-19 for the general public is available on the NHS Inform (Scotland) and the NHS.UK (rest of the UK) websites.

Information and resources on COVID-19 for health professionals is available on the Health Protection Scotland (HPS) (Scotland) and Public Health England (PHE) (rest of the UK) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 5 February 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in N'Zerekore prefecture on 14 February 2021, with seven cases identified, of which three have been confirmed and three people have died. This is the first time EVD has been reported in Guinea since the end of the 2014 to 2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak.

The WHO is supporting Guinea with surveillance, infection prevention and control of health facilities, local community engagement and EVD vaccine procurement.

Advice for travellers 

• When EVD outbreaks occur, the risk of travellers becoming infected or developing the disease is extremely low. 
• Travellers returning from an Ebola outbreak area should seek rapid medical attention if they develop flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, diarrhoea or general malaise, within 21 days after return. They should call NHS24 (Scotland), NHS111 (England and Wales) or contact their GP by telephone. While EVD is unlikely, the returning traveller should mention any potential exposure to the virus, including dates and itinerary of travel.

Further information and advice is available on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 15 February 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Kenya. Between 19 November 2020 and 4 February 2021, there have been 32 human cases and 11 deaths reported in Isiolo and Mandera counties.

RVF outbreaks in Kenya are recurrent and the last outbreak was in 2018. The WHO is working closely with the Kenyan Ministry of Health in supporting the public health response to the current outbreak.

Advice for travellers 

• RVF is a zoonotic viral infection that may rarely cause fatal haemorrhagic fever. The risk to travellers is very rare, though is increased in those visiting an area experiencing a RVF outbreak and having contact with infected humans, animals or their tissue.

Those at increased risk of RVF infection are advised to: 

• avoid direct contact with infected animals or animal tissues where possible, if this is unavoidable then personal protective equipment should be worn 
• avoid drinking unpasteurised milk and consuming raw meat products 
• practice good insect bite avoidance measures

There is no licensed vaccine available for human use.

Further information and advice is available on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 17 February 2021

As of 13 February 2021, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in Fiji has reported 160 cases of leptospirosis, including five confirmed deaths. These figures are above the expected level for this time of the year throughout the country.

The climate in Fiji is tropical and the wet season runs from November to April. This can result in flooding caused by heavy rains and cyclones, which can occasionally lead to outbreaks of leptospirosis.

Advice for travellers 

• Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection transmitted to humans from the urine of infected animals, often rodents. Infection often occurs from water contaminated by infected animal urine. 
• Travellers participating in adventure or ecotourism, water-based sports activities, athletic endurance events, mountain biking, and military exercises have an increased chance of exposure, especially if travelling to high-risk destinations. Veterinarians and humanitarian relief or aid workers are at risk when travelling overseas to work.

No licensed vaccine is available in the UK for leptospirosis.

Travellers at increased risk of leptospirosis are advised: 

• of the risk of infection and to seek medical help after potential exposure if they become symptomatic 
• to avoid exposure to potentially contaminated water especially of mucosa (swallowing or inhaling water) and abraded skin, including excoriated insect bites 
• to wear protective clothing if exposure is unavoidable 
• to cover open skin lesions with waterproof plasters and wash and disinfect any injuries sustained during possible exposure 
• to wash or shower thoroughly after possible exposure

Information and advice for travellers on leptospirosis is available from the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites.

Source: TRAVAX, 19 February 2021

As of 1 February 2021, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported that EU and EEA member states and EU-neighbouring countries had provided notification of 336 locally-acquired human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infections in 2020, with 316 cases having a known place of infection. This total includes 38 deaths.

During this transmission season, the Netherlands reported their first detection of a WNV infection in a bird and subsequently the first detection of human cases of WNV infection. This corroborates the further expansion of WNV circulation in Europe. All other human infections in 2020 were reported in countries with known persistent transmission in previous years.

Source: ECDC, 16 February 2021

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has published its annual epidemiological report for mumps for 2018.

For 2018, 11,312 cases of mumps were reported to ECDC by 28 EU and EEA member states, with an overall notification rate of 2.6 cases per 100,000 of the population. There were no deaths reported, and hospitalisation or complications due to mumps were rare, affecting 4.5% and 6.5% respectively of the cases with data recorded on these outcomes. Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK accounted for 79% of all notified cases, with new or continuing outbreaks in these countries during the first half of the year responsible for the majority of cases.

Source: ECDC, 16 February 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched consolidated guidelines for malaria, bringing together the most up-to-date recommendations in an online platform. 

The platform provides: 

• All official WHO recommendations for malaria prevention (vector control and preventive chemotherapies) and case management (diagnosis and treatment). Recommendations for elimination settings are in development. 
• Links to other resources, such as guidance on the strategic use of information to drive impact, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, operational manuals, handbooks, frameworks and a glossary of key terms and definitions.

The first version of the guidelines for malaria is a compilation of existing WHO recommendations on malaria and supersedes two previous WHO publications. Four WHO guideline development groups focused on vector control, chemoprevention, treatment and elimination are currently convening to develop new or updated recommendations and other groups will convene this year to address additional relevant topics.

Source: WHO, 16 February 2021