PM to unveil ‘traffic light’ plan for travel
Boris Johnson is to outline plans for the easing of coronavirus restrictions on foreign travel from England, potentially opening the way for holidays abroad this summer.
The Prime Minister will announce details today of a “traffic light” system for rating overseas destinations, lowering controls on journeys to those countries assessed as being at the lowest risk.
Officials stressed travel would not begin before 17 May at the earliest and that it was still too soon to predict which countries would be cleared. The advice remains that people should wait for the full report of the government’s global travel task force due on 12 April before booking a holiday.
It comes as many European countries are imposing new lockdown restrictions as a third wave spreads across the continent.
Under the traffic light system, assessments will be based on a range of factors,
including the proportion of a country’s population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection and emerging new variants.
Travellers arriving from countries rated “green” will not be required to isolate although pre-departure and post-arrival tests will still be needed. For those classed as “amber” or “red”, the restrictions will remain as they are, with arrivals required to isolate or enter quarantine.
Industry body Airlines UK, which has been calling for some type of traffic light system, said it was important mass air travel was able to resume soon.