Red list to be cut to just ‘nine countries’ in major boost for holidays

New travel rules are already due this week but there could be more to come (Picture: Getty/REX)

The government is planning to return international travel to as close to normal as it has been since the pandemic began.

Dozens of countries are reportedly set to be taken off the red list this week as new travel rules for England come into force.

As few as nine destinations, down from the present tally of 54, could be left on the red list, according to The Telegraph.

Places like South Africa, Brazil and Mexico could be stripped of their ‘no go’ status but Thailand remains a more ‘marginal call’, a source told the paper.

From 4am on Monday, the traffic light system which caused travel confusion over the summer will be scrapped in favour of a slimmed down system.

Countries will either be open for travel for fully-vaccinated passengers or not, with no halfway house categories. 

The costly testing burden on double-jabbed tourists is also set to be significantly reduced, making holidays more affordable.

Brazil could be among the countries which are moved off the red list this week (Picture: AFP)

Mexico may also be removed from the list in time for October half term week (Picture: Getty)

There will still be stringent quarantine requirements for red list countries under the new travel system, with arrivals required to pay £2,285 for a single adult to stay in a managed hotel for 11 nights.

The strict requirements will remain in place even for double-jabbed tourists, with countries where variants of concern are circulating being kept under close control.

Britain’s ailing travel industry will be relieved to see further changes come into force in time for October half-term week, traditionally a lucrative period for the business.

Leaders have previously claimed that people are deterred from booking holidays because of varying costs of PCR tests.

As of today, the last full day of the current travel testing regime, the cost of PCRs on the government’s website range from £3.97 to £675.

The government has already announced a significant simplification of travel rules but could reportedly follow it up with further changes to the red list (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

From Monday, double-jabbed travellers will no longer need a pre-departure PCR or post-arrival lateral flow and instead will only have to take a single lateral flow two days after they land.

Restrictions will be tightened on un-vaccinated tourists, with mandatory 10 day home quarantine and PCR tests required for all destinations.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own travel rules and are not wholesale following the UK government’s lead.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

from News – Metro https://ift.tt/3Fdj06R