Britain Asked to Identify Covid-Safe ‘Green’ Countries ASAP for Travel

Britain has been urged to publish its “green” list of countries where people from England will be able to travel as soon as possible as the May 17 date for the restart of holidays nears.

The parliamentary Transport Committee on Saturday called on the government to provide the details of its three-tier “traffic light” system for rating destination countries based on their COVID-19 safety.

Ongoing uncertainty over when and where people can travel could cost further jobs in the already battered travel, aviation and tourism sectors, warned the committee.

“There are just 16 days until international travel is expected to resume on 17 May. Incredibly, passengers and industry are still in the dark about which countries they can visit and the requirements to do so,” Transport Committee chairman Huw Merriman said in a statement.

The government said in mid-April it would announce which countries were in which category in early May, ahead of a plan to allow holidays again from May 17 at the earliest.

Under the government plans, travellers returning from green countries will need to take a COVID-19 test just before arriving into the UK and another test on or before the second day of returning but will not need to quarantine. Amber country arrivals will require a period of self-isolation at home as well as the tests and red countries quarantine in a hotel plus tests.

Travel experts say that the initial list of green countries could be very limited with just Iceland, Malta, Gibraltar and Israel making it, although airlines are hoping that some larger destinations like the United States and Portugal will also feature.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Andy Bruce)

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