Love Island location Majorca has been placed back on the amber travel list, causing something of a logistical nightmare for the ITV2 dating show.
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The UK government announced on Wednesday that just two weeks after the Balearic islands were added to the green watch list, a surge in coronavirus cases has forced them to swiftly move the islands back on the amber list.
It means that like all British travellers, islanders dumped from the villa from Monday will now have to self-isolate for ten days upon their return to the UK unless they have had both of their Covid vaccinations. Given that the majority of young people in the UK have only had their first jab, it seems unlikely that Love Island contestants will be spared quarantine.
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Speaking about the travel restrictions on Thursday morning’s Good Morning Britain, entertainment reporter Richard Arnold revealed that the dating show has confirmed that they already had a “contingency plan” in place, although he didn’t give any details.
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The new restrictions will kick in next week, meaning that the show’s most recent dumped islander, Brad McClelland, will not be affected. Brad, a 26-year-old labourer from Northumberland, exited the villa on Wednesday night’s show after he and Lucinda Stafford were voted the least compatible couple by viewers at home.
© Photo: ITVThe most recent dumped islander Brad will not be affected by the restrictions
In a shocking twist, they were forced to decide between them which of them would be dumped. Brad elected to go to give Lucida more “opportunities” in the villa as she had only recently arrived.
However, ITV2 bosses now face losing the show's host, Laura Whitmore, who normally jets between Spain and the UK for filming. The new-mum, who presents the show while husband Iain Stirling narrates, is set to make an appearance in the villa next week, although this may now not be possible.
At the moment, it’s not known if new contestants will be affected. The show is due to have an influx of new faces in just over a week’s time when the second villa, Casa Amor, is introduced. It will see the current islanders separated from their other halves to mix with a new bunch of singletons looking for love.
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