Only a ‘handful’ of countries will be added on the UK green list – FT
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UK ministers are preparing to add a handful of countries to the government’s “green list” of travel destinations this week, but will stop short of the major expansion the leisure industry has called for.
Territories under consideration include Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands, plus Malta.
Several European countries including Malta, Finland and Poland that are on the government’s “amber list” currently have lower average daily rates of cases and a higher proportion of the population vaccinated with at least one jab than Portugal did when it was added to the green list, according to FT analysis.
Spain does not, but ministers have indicated they will consider island holiday destinations separately.
With UK case numbers rising, there is concern within the travel industry that more countries could follow France, Germany and Austria and introduce restrictions on British tourists.
Earlier today, PM Johnson said “We’ve got to wait and see what the Joint Biosecurity Centre says and what the recommendations are about travel. We are going to try and allow people to travel, as I know many people want to, 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. I want you to know, we will have no hesitation in moving countries from the green list, to the amber list, to the red list, if we have to do so.”
