The UK Government have indicated that no new countries are being added to their travel green list, and that Portugal is moving from green to amber which will cause chaos for those who have a holiday booked, or are already on holiday in the country, as they will have to now quarantine for 10 days on their return home.
There were hopes that the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, some Greek islands, and Malta could have been added to the green list in the first review of the system since it came into play three weeks ago, when Portugal was announced as the only major holiday destination on the list, meaning tourists could return to the UK without having to quarantine.
These hopes have been dashed by their decision which followed warnings that the testing system could be 'overwhelmed' if more countries are added to the travel green list, even though it was argued the islands posed a lesser risk and therefore should be okayed for holidays.
People arriving in the UK from amber list countries have to take two post-arrival tests on day two and day eight after arriving, and self-isolate at home for 10 days, although they can reduce that time if they take an additional negative test on day five. Those returning from green locations are not required to self-isolate but they must take one post-arrival coronavirus test.
Ahead of the list announcement, health secretary Matt Hancock warned: "We have got to follow the data and of course, I understand why people want to travel but we've got to make sure we keep this country safe, especially because the vaccine programme is going so well.
Each country is assessed based on a range of factors, including what proportion of a population is vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
The next review is due in three weeks time.
