The latest round of updates to the UK's controversial traffic light system has resulted in several countries being added to its green list amongst other important updates. The decision now means that there are several more quarantine-free travel options available for British travelers to visit, including a handful of nearby European countries.
On top of this, the UK has also moved to reverse recent restriction changes regarding France, meaning that travelers can now also hop across the English Channel to France and back without having to worry about quarantine when they return home. Here's a closer look at which countries made the green list, plus updates on the UK's other travel-related changes.
UK Updates Green List – Information For Travelers
The UK’s traffic light travel system has been a staple of the country’s Covid-19 restrictions since it was first launched back in May. Despite a slow start, with only a handful of countries making it to the green list, it has since been revisited and revised several times over, with the latest iteration of the list featuring a wide range of different types of vacation destinations that British travelers can take advantage of. The travel list is updated every three weeks, with the previous update coming back on July 14th.
Updates to the travel list are usually revealed first on Twitter, in tweets by the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Schapps, who breaks the news that British travelers are eagerly awaiting along with a link to the relevant government website. Last night, the Transport Secretary made his customary tweets, revealing that the top European destinations of Germany, Austria and Norway were being added to the green list, along with changes to both the red and amber lists.
The complete list of new countries heading to the green list is as follows: Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. These countries will officially join the green list as of 4AM on Sunday, August 8th. The change means travelers coming from these countries to the UK will not need to quarantine upon their return, though they will still need to be tested before their return and after they have returned.
Some countries have also been added to the green watchlist, meaning they are at risk of moving onto the amber list and facing tougher restrictions. These countries are Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Dominica, Grenada, Israel, Madeira, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Taiwan and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Several countries will also make the switch from the red list to the amber list. India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will move on to the amber list, whilst heading in the opposite direction to the red list will be Georgia, Mexico, La Reunion and Mayotte due to the prevalence of variants of concern in these countries. The changes will take place as of 4AM on Sunday.
The UK has also backtracked on some restrictions it had placed on France. Last month, it was decided that fully vaccinated travelers returning from France would need to isolate, despite that not being the case for any other amber list countries. This has now been reversed. For a full list of all the rules and regulations regarding the traffic light system, here is a link to the government’s rules for entering the country.
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