British holidaymakers were dealt yet another blow last night when the Government announced that travellers arriving to the UK from 

British holidaymakers were dealt yet another blow last night when the Government announced that travellers arriving to the UK from  will still have to quarantine – even if they have had both Covid jabs. 

Holiday hopefuls had previously been told that they would be able to avoid ‘Amber List’ quarantine rules from Monday.

That’s the date when the Government had set down for allowing double jabbed Britons to return from Amber List countries without having to quarantine.

But France will now be made an exemption to that rule.It comes amid concerns over the spread of the Beta (South African) strain in France.

However the move has raised eyebrows because in the seven days to July 14 there were 244,691 Covid cases in the UK, compared with 27,713 in France – while France’s vaccination rates have almost caught up with Britain’s.  

The sudden reversal, which will likely throw thousands of summer holiday plans into disarray, comes just days before the school summer holidays and the July 19 ‘Freedom Day’.

Airline bosses and travel chiefs last night decried the move as another blow to an already under pressure industry. 

Meanwhile, the UK’s non-travel self-isolation rules were in chaos last night after the meat industry claimed its workers had been excused from quarantining if they are ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app.

It came as the Ministry of Defence revealed 5,200 military personnel are off duty because they are self-isolating, leading MPs to warn the app could endanger national security.

Some NHS trusts are so short-staffed they are letting double-jabbed doctors and nurses work if pinged.  The chaos has forced hospitals to call off operations, factories to cancel shifts and some councils to tell residents bins will not be collected.

In other developments:

• Daily Covid cases topped 50,000 for the first time since mid-January as another 51,870 tested positive.A further 49 deaths were recorded;
• Chief medical officer Chris Whitty warned the situation in hospitals could rapidly get ‘quite scary’ after the number of virus patients doubled in a fortnight;
• Solicitor general Lucy Frazer admitted ministers could consider reimposing restrictions if the spread of the virus became ‘unacceptable’;
• Health Secretary Sajid Javid was urged to end ‘excessive’ Covid travel test costs to stop families being priced out of foreign holidays;
• Analysis by MailOnline suggests that in a worst-case scenario around six million adults could be in isolation by the end of the month;  
• There was fresh confusion after the meat industry claimed officials had said their staff did not need to quarantine if contacted by the app;
• The Ministry of Defence revealed 5,200 military personnel are off duty because they are self-isolating, leading MPs to warn the app could endanger national security;
• Some NHS trusts are so short-staffed they are letting double-jabbed doctors and nurses work if pinged;
• Scientists joined the revolt against rules requiring people to self-isolate if ‘pinged’ by the NHS Covid-19 app; 

The sudden change of heart by the Government on travel from France comes after reports earlier this week suggested that the Government was considering putting the country on the Red List.

This would have meant those arriving in the UK from France would have had to isolate in a quarantine hotel for 10 days – at a personal cost of £1,750 for one person.

But the Government has instead opted for a less extreme path, by keeping France on the Amber List but maintaining the traditional quarantine requirement for vaccinated and non-vaccinated Britons.

Those arriving back from France will now still have to isolate at home for up to 10 days.They will also need to take a Covid test after two and eight days in quarantine. 

However travellers can be released after five days providing they test negative under the Government’s test and release scheme.

The rules also apply to fully vaccinated individuals who transit through France from either a green or another amber country.

However the Government says operators may make specific arrangements in line with public health regulations for transit without quarantine, such as those travelling by train from Belgium. 

In a statement, a Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Anyone arriving from France to England must continue to quarantine for ten days at home or in other accommodation, even if they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.