Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK will see the introduction of a traffic light system for foreign travel. The announcement was on April 5 in his latest Coronavirus briefing.
The plan is for a three-tier traffic light system that will categorise countries for international travel to and from England.
The PM is hopeful that travel can resume from the earliest date of May 17. However, an actual restart date, and classification of countries, can only be confirmed nearer the time.
People in the UK have been advised not to book any holidays abroad until things are clearer.
The Prime Minister is being cautious not to give false hopes or underestimate the circumstances in other countries. The Global Travel Taskforce is due to give a report later in the week. They will set out a plan prior to May 17 informing what they believe to be reasonable.
The PM intends to give the travel industry as much notice as possible on the restart date.
A Three Tier Traffic Light System
The government confirmed the three tier traffic light system in an update regarding one of their roadmap reviews.
The proposed plan for the traffic light system on foreign travel will work in the following way.
There will be no quarantine restrictions for holidaymakers travelling to countries on the green list. However, they will be required to take Covid tests before departing and returning to the UK. They will also need to take another test on arrival.
These destinations are likely to be the only places open to UK travellers from the restart date.
At this stage it is unclear how many countries, and which ones, will be on the green list. A country’s Covid infection and vaccination rates will help determine its category. Their system of tracking infections and risks of variants will also be taken into account.
All non-essential travel will be banned to any countries on the red list. A 10 day hotel quarantine will be required when arriving in one of these countries.
Countries classified as being between green and red will be on the amber list. People travelling to these destinations will be subject to a combination of testing and self isolation.
This category is likely to include most destinations.
People arriving from places on the amber list will be required to self isolate at home for 10 days. They will need to take three tests. The first up to 72 hours before returning to the UK, one two days after, and a third after eight days.
An additional test will be available for purchase after five days. A negative result means they can cut their quarantine period short.
Vaccination Status
People who have received both doses of vaccination against Covid-19 could see testing requirements relaxed. More details on vaccination certificates and how they will work are yet to come.
All countries are apparently looking into vaccination status as an important player in international travel. However, it is realised that Covid certificates present complex ethical and practical issues.
Plans announced are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to confirm details. Although the Scottish government has stated it does not expect to allow any non-essential travel to resume from May 17.
The UK requirements will be in addition to any testing and quarantine restrictions required by other countries travelled to.
The government hopes people will be able to travel to and from the UK for holidays this summer. However, it is still too early to know what is possible.
They are not in a position to make any confirmations on when non-essential international travel can resume for particular countries. Tthis is due to the current state of the pandemic and progress of vaccination programmes in countries abroad.
Lifting of Travel Restrictions
An announcement is planned to be made in advance of May 17. This will confirm whether or not non-essential foreign travel can restart on that date. There is a chance we may need to wait a bit longer before lifting travel restrictions.
The return of non-essential international travel will come with the introduction of a risk based traffic light system.
The current system will see the addition of a new green category for countries judged as being low risk. People travelling to these countries will not need to isolate when they return to the UK. Pre-departure and post-arrival tests will still be required. Categorisation will be based on infection rates, vaccinations and the situation on variants.
Data and evidence nearer the time will determine decisions on which countries will be on the green list. It is too early to predict now.
An initial assessment carried out before non-essential travel resumes will decide the classification of each country. The data will continually be monitored to determine whether countries can move between categories.
When non-essential international travel does resume, the intention is for it to be facilitated by the NHS. This is for the purposes of where certification is required. The government are looking to establish arrangements with other countries and international organisations for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates.
The Picture on Foreign Travel Remains Unclear
Many in the travel industry are likely to be disappointed at the lack of clarity in details on international travel. Summer holidays this year are still in doubt as popular destinations around Europe are seeing a rise in Covid infections.
The announcement does leave the possibility for gradual re-opening of borders in time for some peak season travel.
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