FAMILIES are finally free to jet off for some much-needed summer sun as travel restrictions ease.
But many are eagerly awaiting the next traffic light update to find out which countries make it onto the coveted green list.
When is the next green list travel announcement?
Ministers unveiled a revamp of the travel rules on August 4, which came into force four days later.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps added a host of new destinations to the green list in a major boost for sunseekers.
He U-turned on plans to create an “amber watchlist” after an outcry from business chiefs and MPs.
It would have shown which countries were at risk of turning red, leaving all arrivals facing mandatory hotel quarantine.
And he scrapped “amber plus”, of which France is the only member, of countries from which even the double-jabbed must self-isolate on return.
The traffic light system is being reviewed every three weeks.
It means the next announcement is expected to be on August 25 or 26.
Any changes would likely come into force from 4am on August 29.
The Department for Transport said: “These regular review points will allow the Government to balance helping the public to understand Covid requirements when travelling to England while allowing us to constantly evaluate the risk for different countries.”
Which countries are expected to be added to the green list?
Poland failed to make the quarantine-free green list at the latest update, despite its low infection rate.
If cases remain low, the country is likely to be bumped up from amber next time.
Ahead of the update, travel expert Paul Charles identified 12 countries that could go green based on vaccination rate and low infections.
Five of these – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Poland – remained amber.
Therefore people will keeping a close eye on these come August 25.
Mr Charles told BBC Radio 4: “There are many countries in the world which should be on the green list, but aren’t.”
Which countries are currently on the green list?
These are the countries which currently make up the green list, from which require no quarantine on arrival in the UK:
- Anguila
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- Austria
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Cayman Islands
- Croatia
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Grenada
- Iceland
- Israel and Jerusalem
- Madeira
- Malta
- Montserrat
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Pitcairn Islands
- Romania
- Slovenia
- Slovakia
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- Singapore
- Taiwan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
However, not all green list destinations are welcoming Brits.
For example, New Zealand and Australia are on the list, but they have their own entry requirements and are not letting tourists enter.
Some countries are on the green “watch list” which means they could move to amber at short notice.
This includes Madeira and Barbados.
What is the government’s criteria for green list countries?
Factors taken into account for green list countries include the number of people vaccinated and Covid infection rates.
Variants of concern and the ability of countries to identify them are also being considered.
The Beta variant is the biggest threat to the UK, it is believed, which forced France onto the “amber-plus” list due to fears it could affect the UK’s vaccine progress.
But nobody knows exactly how the government makes decisions which makes it rather tricky to guess how the traffic light system might change.
