Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said on Thursday all travellers from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have been banned from entering the UK.
All arrivals from South America, Cape Verde, Panama and Portugal will be subject to a travel ban from Friday January 15.
Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said travellers from the above countries will be subject to a travel ban after a new variant of Covid was detected in Brazil.
In a tweet, Mr Shapps said he has decided to take the “urgent” decision to ban arrivals from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.