Green, red and amber traffic light system replaced with 2 lists Red – no go & Open – go. PCR tests to be scrapped.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has revealed his new system for international travel to apply to double jabbed travellers returning to England.
The traffic light system
The cumbersome traffic light system will disappear altogether.
From 4 October, the amber list will be ditched and countries will be classed as Red â those countries that are unsafe to travel to or Open â the rest of the world.
PCR Tests to be phased out for vaccinated travellers
Currently, anyone wishing to return to England has to take a pre-departure âfit to flyâ test to enter. From 4 October, fully-vaccinated travellers will no longer have to do so.
Expensive PCR tests for fully vaccinated travellers will be phased out by the end of October for the day twp return from a non-red country. Instead, travellers will be able to take the cheaper lateral flow test.
Unvaccinated travellers, however, will still have to take the PCR test and quarantine at home for 10 days on arrival into the UK from non-red countries â that is, those on the ârest of worldâ list.
Arrivals from Red countries will still have to quarantine in hotels.
Grant Shapps tweeted:
âNow weâve got so many people vaccinated, perhaps nine out of 10 adults, it does give us some additional freedoms.
âAnd one of those is that we can drop the pre-departure tests.
âAnother is that we can drop the expensive PCR tests on day two when people got back from abroad.
âBut we will still require people to buy and use a lateral flow test.â
Red list countries
There are currently 62 countries on the Red List. From 4am on 22 September, eight will be removed. This means Britons will be able to visit them without facing hotel quarantine upon their return.
These are: Turkey, Pakistan, Oman, Maldives, Bangladesh, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Egypt.
The government may move more countries to Open in the next few weeks. However, the ten-day hotel quarantine at the cost of up to £2,285 per person will remain in place for countries still on the red list.
Passenger locator form
There have been no changes to the Passenger Locator Form, and all travellers must complete this.
The transport secretary said the new travel rules would remain in place âat least until the new year,â giving some hope for the travel industryâs recovery.
You donât need to be jabbed in the UK
The UK government will also recognise full vaccinations from a further 17 countries and territories including Japan and Singapore.
Airlines UK said it was a âshot in the armâ that â moves us much closer to the reopening of UK aviationâ.
These changes apply onto to England. The Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish governments have often followed the UK governmentâs rules during the pandemic. Wales said it would âcarefully considerâ the proposed changes.
