The figures from the ONS show that between 25 September and 8 October, the most recent fortnight analysed, only 3 percent of the participants in the survey had been abroad during the period and of those people only 0.58 percent tested positive for Covid-19. This percentage was only fractionally higher than the 0.49 percent of those who tested positive during the same period and had not travelled abroad.

Katherine Kent, co-head of analysis for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said in media reports: “We’ve seen that urban areas are more likely to have higher rates of Covid-19 infections than rural areas in most regions (of the UK).

“Analysis now shows that, unlike before, there is no longer a difference in the rate of infections between those who have travelled abroad (from the UK) and those who haven’t.

“When looking back at the whole duration of the survey, we are still seeing that a fairly low percentage of people who test positive report any symptoms at the time of their test, although this has increased since a low in late June and July,” she concluded.

The travel corridor between Portugal and the UK has still not been reinstated by the UK government, meaning that anyone who enters the UK from Portugal must self isolate for 14 days upon arrival, although certain exemptions do exist.