UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his medical advisers are “confident” the current coronavirus case data means they can push ahead for the 17 May unlocking milestone that will see a slow return to travel for leisure.Travel destinations will be ranked green, amber or red according to virus risk, Downing Street said in a statement late Saturday, with the government to provide more details on Monday.International travel is currently banned except for a handful of permitted reasons. Consequently, many Brits are scanning options for their summer holidays abroad.“We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country … as safely as possible,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.The government said the new system “will help ensure the UK’s vaccine progress isn’t jeopardised and provide clear guidance for travellers”.The British government will implement the traffic light system of risk that will see the world carved up into green, amber or red zones based on vaccine rollout and case rates, as well as new variants found.GREEN COUNTRIESInsiders warn only a “handful” of countries will be approved for low-risk “green” quarantine free travel in the first round, which is due to be published next week.Popular holiday spots with Brits such as Gibraltar, Malta and Portugal are early contenders for the coveted status.Other countries rumoured to be on the green list based on their vaccination success include Israel and the US.While “green” zones mean quarantine free travel, people heading to those countries will need to take one pre-departure coronavirus test up to 72 hours before returning to the UK (type unspecified).AMBER COUNTRIESEuropean vacation favourites also popular with Brits, France, Spain, Greece and Italy, are still some weeks away from being approved as green and are likely to be heading for amber status.Other rumoured countries to make the amber list include Denmark, Cyprus and Turkey.Travellers from amber list countries will have to self-isolate at home for 10 days on their return. They will be required to take a COVID-19 test on day 8 after their return.There will be an option to pay for a test on day 5, under the test to release scheme, to end self-isolation early.RED COUNTRIESEntry by travellers from red list countries will continue to be outlawed, with anyone coming through those countries forced to quarantine at their own expense in a government-approved hotel when they arrive. They will be required to take a COVID-19 test on day 8 after their return.There are approximately 40 countries on the red list released by the UK government, including India, which logged 400,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day on Friday, local time, is on the red list.WHEN WILL THE TRAFFIC LIGHT LIST BE PUBLISHED?British ministers are under growing pressure to speed up publication of which countries will be in which zone.Tory MP Huw Merriman added that details this weekend would be “the bare minimum of planning that the industry and consumers need to begin any sort of preparations for a restart of international travel on 17 May”.He added: “Instead, uncertainty has been prolonged. This uncertainty could cost people their jobs.”And he warned: “The Government is in danger of squandering the opportunity to take advantage of the UK’s world-leading ‘vaccine dividend’ as countries across the globe begin to open up for international travel.”The Commons’ Transport Select Committee issued a report last week which stated the green, amber and red lists of destinations must be published by Saturday “at the latest”, a deadline which was not met. However, the UK government said it will confirm international travel arrangements by “early May”, or this week.— With The Sun
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