Holidays are back... and families will get a green list update every 3 weeks

FAMILIES are set t o get t he go-ahead to take summer holidays in some popular European hotspots before the end of the month, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The Government is expected to announce as early as this week the first countries that Britons can visit without having to quarantine – but the list is only believed to include a handful of destinations.

Sources say the so-called ‘green list’ will be updated every three weeks, raising the prospect that new countries – including popular destinations in Europe – will be announced before the end of this month. For much of the country, the half-term break starts on May 31.

Under the traffic- light system for foreign travel, those returning from green countries will not need to quarantine but will have to take two Covid tests – one before they return to the UK, which can be either a lateral flow or PCR test, and a PCR test on the second day after they arrive back.

Those who return from countries designated as either amber or red will still have to quarantine, either at home or in a hotel, and have three compulsory tests. Government officials are debating whether to stick to previous policy plans of having all children under 11 exempt from having to take the tests.

The majority of European countries are expected to be given amber status this week, but there is optimism that some will turn green when the list is next updated.

The ban on overseas holidays will end on May 17, along with the threat of fines for attempting to travel without a permitted reason.

Ahead of the cautious return to international travel, the Government will shortly unveil a new slogan ‘Travel Safely, Plan Ahead’. It will replace the current ‘Minimise Travel’ guidance. An announcement by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of which countries have been given which colour is thought to have been pencilled in for Friday, although it could slip to early next week. Ahead of it, the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), which provides evidence-based analysis to the Government, will assess the latest data from around the world.

The system is based on four main criteria – the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated, the Covid infection rate, any emerging coronavirus variants and the strength of a country’s genomic sequencing that would allow variants to be detected.

It is understood the JBC assessment means only a small number of countries will make the first ‘green’ list. These are thought to include Malta, Gibraltar and Israel.

Any tests required for travel for green, amber and red countries will have to be paid for privately. Costs, however, have been falling, with some firms charging just £45 per test.

Many countries require tests to be completed before leaving the UK, but Greece recently became the first major European country to announce that vaccinated Britons will not require any to enter. Spain, Portugal and France have also indicated they will follow suit.