Travel list update: Croatia and Madeira could turn amber this week amid ‘utter chaos’ fear

Travel: Simon Calder discusses taking PCR tests

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Changes to the travel traffic light system, introduced by the Government in May, take place every three weeks. Next Wednesday, some countries are expected to be added to the green list but experts fear holiday hotspots Madeira and Croatia will be downgraded to amber this time.

Britons going to green list destinations can travel restrictions free.

Fully-vaccinated travellers going to amber countries don’t need to quarantine on the way back to the UK but must take at least one PCR test.

However, Britons who have only received one jab or are not vaccinated have to self-isolate for 10 days and pay for at least three PCR tests.

Data from the PC Agency suggests that green countries including some popular summer destinations like Croatia and Madeira could be downgraded to the amber list.

That would mean Britons who are not fully-jabbed would have to quarantine on their return to the UK.

Changes will take place on Thursday at 4am.

At the moment, Croatia and Madeira are on the “green watchlist” which means they are at risk of moving from green to amber if a spike in Covid cases takes place in the country.

Based on the current Covid case rates, PC Agency said the two holiday hotspots along with Israel, Lithuania and Montserrat, and the Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Antigua and Turks and Caicos could move down to amber this week.

Experts have predicted few countries are likely to be added to green

Caribbean and African holiday destinations, Jamaica, St Lucia, Dominica and Morocco, are at high risk to be red-listed.

Analysis by The PC Agency also explained the infection rates in Spain and the Balearics are high enough to move them to the red list.

However, they said that will not happen because of the “utter chaos” it would create just before the bank holiday.

“Significant changes could be some Caribbean islands turning red, and Saudi Arabia turning green as well as Israel going amber,” said chief executive of The PC Agency, Paul Charles.

“Much of Europe won’t change because the Government would create utter chaos at our borders during the bank holiday weekend and week if they chose to turn some of the most popular countries red, such as Balearics or Spain, and force so many people into hotel quarantine,” he told the Telegraph.

However, some countries are expected to turn green due to their declining Covid rates.

Poland, Bhutan, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Saudi Arabia or Canada could be added to the green list this week.

Predictions on travel list changes are based on Covid infection rates, the proportion of positive tests and vaccination rates.

Poland has three Covid cases per 100,000 people and 46.8 percent of its population is fully vaccinated while Canada, on the other hand, has 37 cases per 100,000 people and 68.9 percent of citizens are double-jabbed.

Travel expert Paul Charles explained after the latest travel review earlier this month: “When you take the criteria of the seven countries added to the [green] list today, then actually they equally apply to the countries that haven’t been added.

“Like Poland, for example, or the Czech Republic or even Canada. So, there are many countries in the world which should be on the green list, but aren’t.”

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