The UK government has announced which 'green list' countries people will soon be able to travel to from England without having to quarantine when they get back.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps unveiled details of new travel rules at a coronavirus briefing today, Friday May 7.
In Just 10 days - from May 17 - holidaymakers will be able to travel abroad from England under a 'traffic light system', with countries rated green, amber or red based on their Covid risk.
However, initially just 12 countries will be quarantine free with many popular European destinations not yet on the list.
Travellers to countries rated green will not need to isolate on their return, but they will need to take a Covid-19 test before and after their trip.
Arrivals from amber countries will still need to quarantine, while red-list countries have the strictest rules, with only UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents, allowed to return - and they must pay for a 10-day stay in a Government quarantine hotel. Currently, under coronavirus restrictions, you are only permitted to travel abroad for a very limited number of reasons - including work, education, medical or compassionate grounds.
Despite today's announcement by the UK Government, the Welsh Government has not said when it might ease its strict travel rules.
Check coronavirus figures for where you live:
As foreign affairs is largely not devolved and the UK's biggest airports are in England, decisions made by the UK Government and its ability to strike vaccine passport agreements with the governments in popular holiday destinations will play the biggest role in shaping what holidays will look like for holidaymakers.
However, First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has sounded a very cautious note about the resumption of foreign travel and even if the blanket ban on travel is removed, quarantine-free travel will only likely be possible to a 'tiny handful' of countries. He has indicated he wants to follow a four-nation approach to foreign travel this summer but if he decides not to, Wales has the powers to set its own list of countries from where it will allow quarantine-free travel.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said today: “Given the election, we are not currently in a position to make decisions in relation to international travel.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintained the UK would uphold a sensible and cautious approach to foreign travel this summer to avoid "an influx of disease".
The Prime Minister said there would be "some opening up" on May 17, but that re-opening the country must be done in a way "to make sure that we don't see the virus coming back in" to the UK. Mr Johnson's cautious tone came as some MPs called for restrictions on foreign holidays to be maintained to protect the country from Covid-19 variants, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged a "careful" approach.
Ministers remained hopeful most European countries would be open to green list travel when the situation is reviewed at a “checkpoint” on June 28.
The latest weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people is 21.2 in the UK, 26.5 in Portugal and 28.6 in Malta.
The Green list countries on May 17
Portugal - including the Azores and Madeira
Australia
New Zealand
Singapore
Brunei
Iceland
Faroe Islands
Gibraltar
Falkland Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha;
Israel and Jerusalem.
Meanwhile Turkey, the Maldives and Nepal have been added to the red list.
You can find all out latest travel news in our dedicated live blog here.
.png?w=600)
