Sri Lanka is included in the government’s list of UK travel corridors, along with Israel, Uruguay, Namibia and Rwanda.
From Saturday, anyone returning from the five countries will no longer need to quarantine for two weeks.
The U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have also joined, with the new rules set to take effect at 4am on Saturday.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: “Travel corridor update: Israel, Namibia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands have been added to the #TravelCorrdor list.
“If you arrived from any of these countries after 4am on Saturday 21 November, you do not need to self-isolate. Please remember that under current restrictions, travel is permitted, except for limited reasons such as work or education. Not allowed.”
Brits are currently unable to holiday abroad due to the current lockdown, which has prevented any non-essential travel.
In England, anyone breaking the rules, which end on December 2, could face a £200 fine and be sent from home without a reasonable excuse.
Greece was removed from the UK’s list of travel corridors last week, dashing winter holiday hopes, but Dubai and Abu Dhabi were added, removing the need for a UK quarantine.
However, no country was removed from the list of air bridges this week.
Mr Shapps added: “We will not be removing any countries from the #TravelCorridor list this week.”
It’s also worth checking current entry restrictions – Sri Lanka still doesn’t allow tourists, including from the UK, and neither does Israel.
Britons can travel to Namibia provided they have tested negative for coronavirus within 72 hours.
Uruguay has the same rules, but also enforces a seven-day quarantine on arrival, with the possibility to leave if a second test is negative.
Rwanda requires a negative test within 120 hours of travel and a mandatory 24-hour quarantine on arrival pending the results of a second test, which costs $50 (£38).
For Bonaire and Saba, British nationals are barred from entering, but Sint Eustatius allows British nationals to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Here’s everything you need to know about getting a negative coronavirus test during the holidays.
They cannot be done through the NHS and cost between £100 and £200.
Even the Canary Islands require a negative PCR test and now only Gibraltar is open to Brits without quarantine or testing.
