Hopes for summer holidays as hotspots Spain and Italy 'could be opened up in June'
9 April 2021, 07:39
Ministers are reportedly considering plans to allow quarantine-free travel to 'green listed' countries next month.
Holiday destinations including Spain and Italy could be open to tourists as early as June, new reports suggest.
According to The Times, the government is set to allow quarantine-free travel from May 17 to a small number of ‘green-listed’ countries under a traffic light system.
These will include countries that have a high level of vaccinations and low Covid-19 cases.
People returning from ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries - which have higher cases - would still need to isolate on their return.
This will then be reviewed on June 28, when rules could be relaxed for amber countries as well, including Spain, Italy and Greece.
Further reviews are set to take place on July 31 and October 1.
The Department for Transport said in a statement: “It is too early to predict which countries will be on which list over the summer, and the Government continues to consider a range of factors to inform the restrictions placed on them.
“We will set out by early May which countries will fall into which category, as well as confirming whether international travel can resume from 17 May.”
Meanwhile, new details have revealed exactly how the traffic light system will assess countries.
The rules for each category include:
- Green: No need to self-isolate but a pre-departure Covid test must be taken, as well as a PCR test on day two after arriving in the UK.
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- Amber: You must self-isolate for 10 days, unless you receive a negative result from a test taken at least five days after arrival. Travellers must also take a pre-departure test, and PCR tests on day two and day eight of arrival back in the UK.
- Red: You must spend 11 days in a government approved quarantine hotel, as well as taking a pre-departure test, and PCR tests on day two and day eight of your arrival.
There are currently 39 countries on the ‘red list’, meaning tourists from these countries will be refused entry.
British or Irish Nationals will be able to enter, but must quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days after their return.
The Government has also said they are currently working with the travel industry and private testing providers to reduce the cost of foreign trips over summer.
Two PCR tests cost a total of £210 per person, while a pre-departure test can costs around £60 per person.
