Holidaymakers set to find out where they can go abroad this summer
The Transport Secretary's due to tell us today which countries we can go to without needing to quarantine
Last updated 7th May 2021
Holidaymakers will finally discover which destinations they can visit this summer without quarantining, with Portugal, Iceland and Malta among those expected to be on the travel green list.
Gibraltar and Israel could also make the cut when the list is published on Friday following weeks of speculation.
Quarantine and coronavirus testing requirements for people arriving in England once foreign holidays are permitted from May 17 will be based on a new traffic light system, with destinations placed on green, amber and red lists.
People arriving from a green location will not need to quarantine on their return and will have to take one post-arrival test.
Those returning from an amber list country must self-isolate for at least five days and take two tests.
The red list requires an 11-night stay in a quarantine hotel at a cost of #1,750 for solo travellers.
Assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country's population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country's access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
Well a former Grimsby Travel blogger reckons more people will want to stay in the UK to go on beaks this year despite the traffic light system being announced.
Lauren Davidson told us:
“There are people that are hesitant to book a holiday abroad so they might be looking at staycations in the UK. I do think people won’t bother booking anything until everything’s a bit more set in stone.
“So many people have lost money from holidays booked last year or they got money back on travel vouchers. I think I’d rather stay in the UK. I wanted to go to Prague thus year to see my friend but she said in the Cheque Republic, the vaccination level’s really low.”
She's also worried for places which don't end up on the green list, she said:
“Deprived countries reply on tourism from other countries just to be able to out food on the table for their families. So hopefully the more deprived countries will be higher up on the list but these countries do have a lack of vaccines so I do think there’s a strong list they won’t be on the green lost.”