Green list of quarantine-free countries to be expanded, Grant Shapps says

Portugal is the only mainstream holiday destination on the green list

A wooden footbridge leads to the beach at Praia do Camilo in Portugal’s Algarve region (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The “green list” is to expand, the transport secretary said this morning.

International travel was given the official nod to resume from Monday 17 May, to a slender list of 12 “safe” destinations.

The only mainstream holiday destination of it is Portugal.

When asked on Radio 4’s Today programme whether he was pushing for the green list to be expanded, Grant Shapps replied: “yes of course”.

He added: “We’re reviewing this all the time, every three weeks. The next review is the first week in June and we’ll have to see what happens.”

Mr Shapps added: “Our message is very straightforward, which is ‘just a little bit of patience, everyone’.

“I know it’s been an incredibly tough year and there are extreme circumstance where people will feel that it is the right thing to do - perhaps because they have a sick family member and some extreme situations where they’ll travel in the orange category.

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“But by and large we are just asking people to be a little bit patient as other countries catch up with our world-leading vaccination programme and then people will be able to, I hope, travel.

“We are returning to a world which looks more normal, I hope.”

Mr Shapps’ comments follow confusion about whether holidaymakers should travel to amber destinations.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “The amber list and the red list are not for holidaymakers, that’s not the purpose of those lists at this time.

“We just think that after a year of lockdowns in this country, of people coming forward in record numbers to get their vaccines, we do not want to be in a position of taking risks at this stage about our unlock.”

Arrivals from amber listed countries will need to self-isolate for 10 days, and take two PCR tests post-arrival into the UK. They will also need to present a negative lateral flow test on arrival into the UK.

Travel to amber and red destinations is not outlawed. The lists are intended as guidance only.