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When is the next review of green list countries?

Travel is starting to reopen  (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Travel is starting to reopen (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

On 17 May, foreign leisure travel got the go-ahead in England.

Holidays can resume under a traffic light system, with destinations graded as red, amber or green according to the level of risk of travellers reimporting Covid-19 infections.

According to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, recreational travel is only recommended to countries on the green list; travellers have been advised they “should not be travelling to ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries for leisure”.

The “green list” was first revealed on 7 May, and was subsequently reshuffled on 3 June, which removed Portugal.

The latest green list reshuffle on 24 June added Malta, Madeira and the Balearics in Europe; alongside a host of Caribbean islands.

But when will more countries be added to the list, and how often will it be updated?

Here’s what we know so far.

Which countries are on the green list now?

There are now 27 territories on the green list, many of which do not currently let in British travellers or are impossible to reach directly, thereby necessitating travel through an amber country.

On 3 June, Portugal was removed from the green list.

On 24 June, 16 territories were added: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Balearic Islands, Barbados, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Madeira, Malta, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands and Turks & Caicos.

Green list in full

  • Anguilla

  • Antigua & Barbuda

  • Australia

  • Balearic Islands

  • Barbados

  • Bermuda

  • British Antarctic Territory

  • British Indian Ocean Territory

  • British Virgin Islands

  • Brunei

  • Cayman Islands

  • Dominica

  • Falkland Islands

  • Faroe Islands

  • Gibraltar

  • Grenada

  • Iceland

  • Israel

  • Madeira

  • Malta

  • Montserrat

  • New Zealand

  • Pitcairn Islands

  • Singapore

  • Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

When will the green list be reviewed and updated?

Previous updates took place on 3 and 24 June.

The lists are expected to be updated “every three weeks”. That timeframe indicates that the next list review will be on Thursday 15 July, with changes coming into effect within the week after that date.

Amends to the lists will be informed by public health advice, including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s assessment of the latest data.

“These regular review points will allow the government to balance helping the public to understand Covid requirements when travelling to England while allowing us to constantly evaluate the risk for different countries,” according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

The government has said it will also be publishing a green watchlist in the future, to provide an indication of which countries are at risk from moving from green to amber. However, it has yet to put any countries on the watchlist.

What are the rules for green list countries?

Green list countries have the lightest restrictions for inbound travellers to the UK, with no quarantine imposed and just one PCR test required within two days of arrival.

All travellers must also show proof of a negative Covid test – PCR, rapid antigen or lateral flow – before departure to the UK.

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