Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said “high-value” business travellers –which includes sports stars and performing arts professionals – returning to England from 4am on Saturday will no longer need to self-isolate even if they have visited a destination not on the travel corridors list.
He added that the travel corridors list will not change this week.
Shapps said in a tweet that “certain performing arts professionals, TV production staff, journalists and recently signed elite sportspersons” would also be exempt from quarantine rules from 4am on Saturday.
Journalists and TV production staff will also benefit from the new policy.
Exemptions will be “subject to specific criteria being met”, the Cabinet minister said.
These include trips that create or preserve at least 50 UK jobs.
Individuals will only be exempt when undertaking specific business activity and will only be permitted to meet with others as required by that, the Department for Transport (DfT) said in a statement.
Further information will be issued once the new rules come into force at 4am on Saturday.
The DfT said sectors such as media and elite sport were also selected for exemption from quarantine as they “require specific, high-talent individuals who rely on international connections”.
It added: “PHE (Public Health England) do not anticipate these changes will raise the risk of domestic transmission, due to the protocols being put in place around these exemptions, however all exemptions will remain under review.”
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “This is a welcome first step in dismantling the quarantine system and showing that Britain is open for business again.
“There will be some big businesses that are able to take advantage of it.”