India has been added to a “red list” of countries from which most travel to the UK is banned, over fears of a new Covid variant, the health secretary has said.
From 04:00 BST on Friday 23 April, most people who have travelled from India in the last 10 days will be refused entry.
British or Irish passport holders, or people with UK residence rights, will be allowed in but must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.
Matt Hancock said there had been 103 UK cases of the India variant.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, the health secretary said the vast majority of the cases of the new variant - officially known as B.1.617 - had been linked to international travel.
He said test samples had been analysed to see if the new variant had any "concerning characteristics" such as greater transmissibility or resistance to treatments and vaccines.
He told MPs: "After studying the data, and on a precautionary basis, we've made the difficult but vital decision to add India to the red list."
Analysis box by Michelle Roberts, health editor
Health officials say this new variant, first identified in India, has some worrying genetic changes that need exploring.
It's still too soon to say if it is more contagious, deadly and will evade vaccines - and whether it should join the Variant of Concern list that the South Africa, Kent and Brazil variants belong to.
Assessments are ongoing, and in the meantime the government is looking to stop more cases arriving and spreading in the country.
That's why the government is also stepping up surge testing to quickly find any new cases in the UK and is introducing a speedy new type of lab test that can show within hours if someone is positive for Covid - and if the infection they have is one of the known variants, including this new one from India.
It should mean people can isolate faster to prevent giving it to their friends, families, neighbours and colleagues.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted the move was made to ensure the UK did not lose its "hard-won progress on the vaccine rollout".
A briefing document drawn up by ministers by officials at Public Health England shows that between 25 March and 7 April, 3,345 arrivals from India were registered in UK border travel data. Of those 161 - or 4.8% - tested positive for Covid-19 after a PCR test.
The new travel rule applies only to England, as public health measures are set by individual UK nations. Scotland already requires all international arrivals to quarantine in a government-approved hotel.
There are no direct international flights to Wales or Northern Ireland and there are no quarantine hotels in these nations either, so they tend to fall into line with England's decisions.
Covid-19: India added to coronavirus ‘red list’ for travel
It means most travel to the UK from India will be banned from 04:00 BST on Friday, amid Covid concerns.
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