Travel Traffic Light System: Overhaul of rules imminent

The transport secretary will announce “measures to simplify international travel”, with an expected overhaul of the traffic light system.

Grant Shapps says the upcoming changes will “reduce costs, take advantage of higher levels of vaccination, and keep us all safe”.

Ministers are currently discussing possible moves to take. One thing they are considering is getting rid of the need for fully vaccinated people to take a PCR test on their return to the UK. The traffic light system for international travel could also see changes, with the removal of the amber list.

Changes will first apply to England only, as the devolved UK nations are in charge of making their own rules.

The pandemic is still ongoing

Downing Street hint that Mr Shapps will announce ease of restrictions following “steady progress” in containing Covid.

However, a spokesman for No 10 warns that “the pandemic is still ongoing and there is always the chance of unexpected challenges, such as an even more transmissible or more deadly variant emerging”. This means any changes may not last permanently. There is always the possibility of removed restrictions returning again at some point in the future.

But he remains optimistic about the success of the vaccine rollout “enabling us to move steadily and remove restrictions”. As is evident in England’s widespread lifting of restrictions on 19 July, when we emerged from step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown.

Caution remains not to to rule out anything in the future, but it’s important to note the continuing steady progress in easing restrictions. This is “very much the intention of the approach” they are taking.

The travel traffic light system

Meanwhile, newspaper reports suggest that several countries will come off the red list. These are the highest risk destinations, where returning travellers must stay in hotel quarantine for 11 nights, costing £2,285. Currently, there are 62 countries on the red list.

Under current rules, people returning to the UK from a country on the amber list must quarantine if they are not fully vaccinated. Removing the amber category will mean that only travellers arriving from red list destinations will need to quarantine in government approved hotels.

Travellers arriving from countries on the green list need to take a Covid test before they return, and another on the second day of being back in the UK.

The UK travel rules are only half the story though. Before travelling abroad, you should carefully check the Covid rules of the destination you are going to. The UK Foreign Office has detailed advice published on the government website for different countries.

For example:

• Malta – Entry only for fully vaccinated people over the age of 12.
• Portugal – There are different rules for the mainland to those for Madeira or the Azores.
• France – People can only enter for essential reasons if they are not fully vaccinated.
• Italy – 5 days self-isolation for people who are not fully vaccinated
• US – Most British nationals are not allowed entry

Covid testing

Ministers are also facing pressure to reconsider testing requirements for passengers. Holidaymakers and the travel industry hope the changes will happen before October’s half-term holiday. The chief executive of Airlines UK claims that testing requirements prevent the UK industry competing with rivals across Europe. He also warns of possible job losses if restrictions stay when furlough support is withdrawn.

PCR tests are criticised as expensive, therefore “putting people off travel”, when lateral flow tests are “just as safe”. The feeling is that people are being “ripped off”.

Some argue that fully vaccinated people should only require a confirmatory PCR test if they have a positive lateral flow test.

However, one reason for PCR tests is the ability of use for gene sequencing and tracking variants of the virus.

Alan McNally, an expert in the field of microbes, says lateral flow testing is “sufficient” for travellers since the UK has a high Covid rate. But he still thinks it is “vitally important” for genome-level surveillance of Covid cases related to travel to continue. Previous experience of emerging variants shows cases of infection related to travel are “very high risk”. They have the potential to cause “big trouble” if they are not properly monitored.

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