This will be for 30 days initially. Dominic Raab said: “UK travellers abroad now face widespread international border restrictions and lock downs in various countries. The speed and range of those measures across other countries is unprecedented. So I have taken the decision to advise British nationals against all non-essential international travel.”

This reflects the pace at which other countries are either closing their borders or implementing restrictive measures in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. Often there is little or no notice when countries take these steps and restrictions are also being imposed in areas where no cases of coronavirus have yet been reported. They are therefore very difficult to predict.

The Foreign Commonwealth Office states that British people who decide that they still need to travel abroad should be fully aware of the increased risks of doing so, which includes the risk that they may not be able to get home, if travel restrictions are put in place.

On its website it says: “We are not currently advising British people to immediately return to the UK if they are overseas, except for a few countries detailed in our travel advice. However, British people should keep in mind that flights may be cancelled at short notice or other travel restrictions may be put in place by foreign governments.

“If people do want to return to the UK soon, then they need to take account of the fast-moving situation and plan accordingly, while flights remain available in many places.”