When is the green list announcement?

7 May 2021, 09:31

When is the green list announcement?
When is the green list announcement? Picture: PA
Polly Foreman

By Polly Foreman

Green list travel announcement: when will the government announce the green list?

The government will soon be announcing the 'green list' of countries that Brits will be able to visit without having to quarantine on their return.

Read more: Spain, Greece and France 'could be added to the travel green list by end of June'

We don't yet know which countries will be on the initial list, but Gibraltar, Malta, Israel and Iceland are among those listed as possible contenders.

The list - which will likely come into force from May 17 - will reportedly initially contain a small number of countries, with a government source previously saying it will "play it safe", adding: "It is a very cautious, initial list that will develop. It will be fairly underwhelming at first."

And speaking about foreign travel during a recent campaign trip to Hartlepool, Mr Johnson said: "We do want to do some opening up on May 17 but I don't think that the people of this country want to see an influx of disease from anywhere else.

Read more: Third Covid jab 'to be offered to over 50s in Autumn'

"I certainly don't – and we have got to be very, very tough, and we have got to be as cautious as we can, whilst we continue to open up."

Non-essential travel is currently illegal in the UK
Non-essential travel is currently illegal in the UK. Picture: PA

When will the green list be announced?

The announcement will be made in the press conference at 5pm on Friday May 7.

The press conference will be held at Downing Street, and will reportedly be led by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

What countries will be on the green list?

We don't yet know what countries will be on the initial green list, but the following have been identified as potential contenders:

  • Israel
  • Malta
  • Gibraltar
  • Iceland
  • USA
  • New Zealand
  • Australia
  • Ireland

The green list announcement is expected tomorrow
The green list announcement is expected tomorrow. Picture: PA

Will Spain, France and Greece be on the list?

While it is unlikely these popular European destinations will be on the initial list, reports have suggested that they will be added at the end of June.

A source told the Telegraph: "It's a rolling, evolving list that is going to start off cautiously but could start to change quickly. It is not like a one-off list that affects the totality of the summer. It will update and other countries will be added.

A Downing Street source also previously told The Times: "June will look a lot more like normal, many of the traditional holiday destinations will be on the list by then."

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