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Holidays abroad were given the go ahead from England from 17 May, under a traffic light system to classify each country or region as red, amber or green. This will depend on coronavirus infection rates, the presence of any “variants of concern” and the progress of the vaccination programme.
There are 12 countries on the “green list” – including Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel – and 43 countries on the “red list”, including Dubai, Turkey and the Maldives. Everywhere else, including most of Europe, is on the amber list.
As well as the traffic light system, there will also be a “green watchlist”, which will signal which destinations could soon move from green to amber. It is designed to give travellers more certainty.
The first green list was announced on 7 May, and the next review is slated for 3 June.
Which destinations are on the green list?
There are initially 12 destinations deemed safe enough to be on the green list:
- Portugal
- Israel
- Gibraltar
- Iceland
- Faroe Islands
- Brunei
- Falkland Islands
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
Travellers returning to the UK from these countries won’t need to quarantine. However, they must provide a negative test result – be it rapid antigen, lateral flow or PCR – before departing for the UK, and take a PCR test within two days of arrival.
What is the green watchlist?
The traffic light system will categorise countries and regions in terms of whether travel will be permitted, as well as what restrictions will be in place. The lists will be updated every three weeks.
The green watchlist is an additional measure that the government will use as a way to identify the countries most at risk of moving from green to amber.
Countries on the watchlist will be kept under review and “respond to emerging evidence, with a particular focus on variants of concern”.
There were no countries on the green watchlist when the lists were first announced in early May. At the next review, on 3 June, some countries could move from green to the green watchlist, if they are at risk of moving to amber.
Why is it needed?
The green watchlist system aims to avoid abrupt changes which last year resulted in travellers rushing back to the UK as quarantine was imposed on countries and regions with little notice. The government says the system is being implemented to “give passengers more certainty” and to “provide greater assurance for those who wish to travel abroad”.
However, the report states that “the government will not hesitate to act immediately should the data show that countries risk ratings have changed”.
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