People arriving in the UK from France, the Netherlands, Aruba and Malta to its quarantine list, will also have to self-isolate for 14 days in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced.

According to Schapps, the measure, which also applies to the Principality of Monaco and Turks and Caicos Islands, will come into force from Saturday onwards, reports Xinhua news agency. He added that this was necessary to keep coronavirus infections down.

He made the announcement on Thursday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government would be "absolutely ruthless" in deciding on whether to impose the measures. The decision to add France to the quarantine list will cause dismay for thousands of British holidaymakers currently in the European country.

France is said to be the most popular European holiday destination after Spain, which is already in the list. According to the data company Statista, people from the UK paid 10.35 million visits to France last year, putting it second behind Spain - with 18.12 million - in terms of popularity. The Foreign Office is now warning against "all but essential travel" to France.

Shapps' announcement on Thursday comes exactly a week after he said on August 6 that travellers returning to the UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine at home for 14 days citing rising COVID-19 infection levels in the three countries.