Latest Foreign Office travel advice for Cyprus, Corfu, Corsica, Sardinia, Mallorca and other Mediterranean islands

Holidays this year have been extremely strange.

Whether yours has been cancelled, moved, postponed, or just not like a normal summer holiday because of Covid-19 restrictions, everyone has faced disruption.

At the moment, it’s still possible to go on holiday to many places around the world, even though some require you to self-isolate for 14 days when you get back.

Things have got a bit more complicated with the introduction of the tier system in England.

For those living in Tier 1, little has changed regarding going on holiday, although you must still follow the rule of six.

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If you live in Tier 2, as London is, you can also still go on holiday. However you can’t mix indoors with anyone from outside your household. So you couldn’t, for instance, go on holiday and stay in a cottage with friends from another household.

If you live in a Tier 3 area, you’re not meant to travel outside that area unless for absolutely essential reasons such as work and school. This means you shouldn’t go on holiday unless you are staying within the area you live in.

If you do have a holiday booked, it’s important that you check the latest Foreign Office advice on that destination before you head off.

Rules are changing all the time, so check the latest on the popular travel destinations of Cyprus, Corfu, Corsica, Sardinia, Mallorca and other Mediterranean islands.

Cyprus

As of August 1, 2020, the UK is in Cyprus’ Category B. This means that tourists are permitted to travel to Cyprus, but they need to provide a negative test on arrival, obtained within 72 hours before travel.

On July 31, 2020 The Republic of Cyprus government announced that Covid test results can be in the form of an email or SMS, but the test result itself and/or appointment letter must include the date and time when the test was taken.

Children under 12 years old do not require a test in order to travel to Cyprus.

Greek islands

The Foreign Office continues to advise against all but essential travel to the Greek island of Mykonos. Mainland Greece and all other Greek islands, such as Corfu, Sardinia, Kos and Rhodes are exempt from this advice against all non-essential international travel.

If you are returning to the UK from Mykonos you will need to self-isolate on your return for 14 days. You no longer have to self-isolate on return to England, Wales and Northern Ireland from Crete.

French islands

Corsica is a French island in the Mediterranean sea, along with others such as Porquerolles and Port-Cros. The Foreign Office is currently advising against all but vital travel to France and that includes its islands in the Med.

There has been a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in France during recent weeks, with a significant number of French departments now at ‘heightened vulnerability’. In a number of areas, the French Government have brought in extra measures as a consequence.

You will have to self-isolate for 14 days on your return from Corsica.

The Balearic Islands

Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and others make up the Spanish Balearic Islands which sit in the Mediterranean sea. All these islands fall under the same foreign office advice as mainland Spain does.

Similarly to many other destinations, the Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Spain. If you do head to one of these tropical holiday islands, you will have to quarantine for 14 days when you get back.

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