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The government has imposed its first absolute travel ban on arrivals since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The unprecedented move stems from serious concerns about coronavirus mutations spreading from mink to humans.
The 17 million minks currently being raised on Danish farms will be culled.
The move came 24 hours after the DfT suddenly imposed a quarantine on arrivals from Denmark.
The order to remove Denmark’s quarantine exemption went into effect at 4 a.m. Friday, giving British travelers no opportunity to return without the need to self-quarantine.
The presence of the UK Border Force has been stepped up “to ensure that those arriving in the UK from Denmark comply with the new restrictions,” the DfT said.
Until further notice, only British citizens, visa holders and permanent residents will be allowed entry from Denmark. But anyone who has been on Danish territory in the last two weeks is subject to the most severe quarantine measures imposed since March.
None of the usual exceptions to the 14 days of self-isolation will apply, and all members of the arriving traveler’s household must also be quarantined.
The statement read: “The government has responded urgently to recent events by taking a series of measures.
“The Home Office is implementing immigration powers, which means that visitors coming to the UK from Denmark will not be able to enter the UK. This excludes freight and carriers.
“All non-British travelers or residents who have been in Denmark or have transited through Denmark in the last 14 days will be denied entry to the Border Force upon arrival.”
“The decision to act quickly follows the release of more information from Danish health authorities who reported widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms, with a variant strain of the virus spreading to some local communities.”
In addition to newcomers from Denmark, the government is examining passenger locator forms submitted by newcomers to identify those who have been on Danish soil in the past two weeks.
“Anyone who has returned from Denmark in the last two weeks will be contacted to ensure they complete the necessary self-isolation to ensure the virus does not spread through the UK,” the DfT said.
They will be asked to quarantine themselves along with all other members of their households for up to 14 days after they were last in Denmark.
The statement added: “The UK government is working closely with international partners to understand the changes to the virus that have been reported in Denmark and we are conducting an additional research program here in the UK to inform our assessments. risky”.
The first travelers affected by the Danish ban were passengers booked on British Airways Flight 811 from Copenhagen, which landed at London Heathrow shortly before 8am on Saturday.
BA’s second and third arrivals from the Danish capital should arrive at Heathrow at 11:40 a.m. and 7:15 p.m., as well as a SAS flight at 4 p.m.
In addition, Ryanair has flights on Saturdays from Copenhagen to Manchester at 5:45 PM and Stansted at 10:45 PM.
The travel ban and expanded self-isolation requirements will be reviewed after one week.
Separately, neighboring Denmark, Germany and Sweden have been included on the UK’s banned list as of 4am on Saturday.
