Thousands of British tourists holidaying in Croatia were on standby to scramble home after the country became “odds on” to join Spain and France on the quarantine “red list”.
An estimated 20,000 Britons — including singer Lily Allen and her family — are thought to be holidaying in the Balkan country where the Covid-19 infection rate has spiralled in the past week.
Most are expected to attempt to return before an expected departure deadline for a 14-day quarantine requirement is imposed by the Government.
This is likely to be at 4am — when no flights will be in the air — either on Saturday morning, or possibly Sunday, to give travellers more time to get home from a destination with far fewer flights than Spain and no ferry option like France.
Major airlines that service airports such as Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik, including easyJet and British Airways, were on standby for a wave of rebookings and cancellations once the expected announcement is made.
The Foreign Office is also likely to advise that only “essential” trips should be made to Croatia, invalidating travel insurance cover.
The cumulative number of coronavirus cases in Croatia stands at a seven-day total of 27.4 cases per 100,000, considerably higher than the Government’s threshold of 20 cases per 100,000. Last week it was at 7.8 per 100,000.
Data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, shows coronavirus cases in Croatia have more than doubled in the past 10 days. The latest statistics reported by the Croatian Institute of Public Health, shows the surge largely confined to the Zagreb and Split areas.
Kristjan Stanicic, general director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, said: “The whole of the tourism industry in Croatia is behaving responsibly and adhering to the prescribed epidemiological measures.”
Tomaslav Fain, a bar and restaurant owner in Zadar, told BBC Breakfast: “We are a very safe country. I’m sure Croatia cannot be on the list. On the beach it’s one person on each 10 metres. We’re not a crowded destination.
“Until now we have had a good season. First Italy put us on the red list, then Austria, now we are talking about Slovenia and the UK.”
Last week, thousands of holidaymakers raced back to the UK from France by plane, train and boat. Other destinations also excluded from the quarantine “green list” include Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malta and Turks and Caicos.
In Portugal, which has been on the “red list” since the quarantine rules were introduced at the start of the summer, cases have been falling — which may allow British officials to lift the “stay at home” requirement.