Green list update: Expert names nine countries on track to open up to UK holidaymakers

Green list: Expert predicts Malta and Finland may be added

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Malta and Finland could soon be added to the UK’s green list for British travellers to visit and return without having to quarantine. The former strategy director of the International Airlines Group Robert Boyle told Sky News that the countries’ low levels of coronavirus cases could see them added to the list. There are currently 12 countries on Boris Johnson’s Government green list, which includes Portugal, Israel and Australia.

Mr Boyle said that a number of countries, including the Spanish and Greek islands, could potentially be added to the list too.

He said: “I think the clearest ones are Malta and Finland, they’ve got low infection rates.

“They’re now well below where Portugal was when it was added.

“They’ve been at that level for a few weeks now, I think they only just missed out last time.”

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He added: “I think there are about nine other European countries where you could make a good case for moving to green.

“Case rates have been coming down, the latest data shows them as below the EU threshold that they have indicated they will set for non-essential travel.

“Places like Italy and Cyprus, I think both of considerable interest to holidaymakers.

“Also Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Czechia, Slovakia and Luxemburg.

“The islands of Spain and Greece, if they’re considered separately which the government has said they will, they could make it to the list as well.”

The UK Government’s traffic light system provides guidance for international travel.

British travellers are banned from going to red list countries, and must quarantine for 10 days in a managed hotel if they return from one.

Travel to amber list countries, which currently includes all EU countries apart from Portugal, is still permitted, but government guidance advises strongly against doing so, leading Labour to call for the list to be scrapped to avoid confusion.

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The Government is now reviewing which countries holidaymakers should be allowed to visit, with Portugal’s green list status being reconsidered due to a rise in Covid cases there.

Boris Johnson said on June 2 that countries could be moved on or off the list in the coming weeks – an announcement on travel is expected on June 3.

He said: “We’re going to try… to allow people to travel, as I know that many people want.

“But we’ve got to be cautious and we’ve got to continue to put countries on the red list, on the amber list, when that is necessary,”

 
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