Changes will be made to the UK's travel green list from today iving holidaymakers more options for their summer holiday.
From today (30 June) 16 more countries will added to the UK’s travel green list.
Travellers arriving in the UK from countries on the list will no longer have to quarantine on the return, with the changes to the list taking effect as of 4am on Wednesday.
Travel Update
— Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) June 24, 2021
From 4am on Wednesday 30 June, new countries will be added to England’s red and green list to protect the country against variants of #COVID19.🚥
For the latest updates on which countries have changed, click here 👉 https://t.co/DkyiVYy9W3#TravelSafely
Changes from 30 June
Malta, the Balearic Islands, Madeira and some Caribbean Islands are among the new countries and territories added to the green list from Wednesday (30 June).
All of the new destinations, with the exception of Malta, have also been put on a ‘watch list’, along with Israel and Jerusalem, meaning they are at risk of being moved back onto the amber list.
Only fully-vaccinated travellers from the UK will be allowed into Malta, while those travelling to the Balearics will have to prove vaccination status or a negative Covid-19 test result before entering.
People visiting amber list countries who have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine may soon no longer need to quarantine on their return to the UK, with an announcement due in July.
Several new countries have also been added to the red list, with returning travellers required to stay at a Government-approved quarantine hotel. The affected destinations include the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Kuwait, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda.
The next travel review will take place on 15 July, just before the planned final easing of lockdown restrictions in England on 19 July.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has insisted the limited easing of restrictions on foreign holidays provides “a little bit of relief for the travel industry”, despite claims from the sector it has not gone far enough.
Mr Shapps said: “It does mean there is a little bit of relief for the travel industry and for people who wish to get away.
“It won’t be quite like it was in 2019 and the old days, but we are moving in a positive direction.”
Travel bosses have also urged the Government to scrap the current 10-day quarantine rule for travellers returning to the UK from amber list countries, saying those who are now fully vaccinated should no longer have to self-isolate.
Mr Shapps said it was the Government’s intention that such a rule would be introduced “later in the summer”, although there are concerns across the sector that it is already too late to save the summer holidays.
CBI chief UK policy director Matthew Fell said: “While welcome, these limited movements on green list countries won’t be enough to salvage the summer season for the international travel sector.
“International connectivity extends far beyond tourism and underpins our whole economy.
“The UK’s successful vaccine rollout means we should be in the vanguard of safely restarting international travel.”
Countries on the green list
From 30 June, people in the UK are able to travel to the following places from without having to quarantine upon return:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- Balearic Islands (Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca)
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Cayman Islands
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Gibraltar
- Grenada
- Iceland
- Israel and Jerusalem
- Madeira
- Malta
- Montserrat
- New Zealand
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
- Singapore
- South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
- St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Turks and Caicos Islands
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