Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway have all been added to the green list in the government’s latest update to the traffic light system for international travel.

In an announcement on the evening of 4 August, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that all seven countries have “demonstrated they posed a low risk to UK public health”.

The move means that all arrivals from these destinations can avoid quarantine on entry to the UK, regardless of vaccination status.

Instead, they must take one Covid PCR test within two days of arriving, in addition to presenting a negative lateral flow prior to departure to the UK.

The changes will come into effect in England at 4am on Sunday 8 August.

It remains to be confirmed whether the same changes will be adopted by the other devolved nations, but previously Scotland and Wales have mirrored England’s changes to traffic light lists.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said of the latest update: “We are committed to opening up international travel safely, taking advantage of the gains we’ve made through our successful vaccination programme, helping connect families, friends and businesses around the world.”

“While we must continue to be cautious, today’s changes reopen a range of different holiday destinations across the globe, which is good news for both the sector and travelling public.”

No countries were demoted from green to amber.

The full green list is now comprised of 36 destinations, 16 of which are on the green watchlist, meaning they’re at risk of changing from green to amber.

Elsewhere, India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE have been upgraded from red to amber in welcome news to travellers, while Georgia, Mexico, La Reunion and Mayotte have been added to the red list.

As expected, France shed its “amber plus” status, meaning travellers arriving from there need not quarantine if they’ve been fully vaccinated.