Vaccinated Britons can swerve amber list quarantine from 19 July, minister confirms

Change coincides with dropping of restrictions in England

The transport secretary has confirmed that double-jabbed Britons can swerve quarantine when returning from “amber list” destinations from 19 July.

The move will allow fully vaccinated travellers to holiday across key European destinations, in a boost to the travel industry.

Grant Shapps announced the change in the Commons on Thursday morning. It will come into effect from 4am on 19 July, and applies to England only.

Children under 18 will not have to isolate, he confirmed.

A pre-departure lateral flow test will still be required, as well as the gold standard PCR test within two days of arriving, which aligns amber list requirements with those of green list arrivals.

Travellers will need to prove their status either by the NHS app, or with a physical NHS letter. Number 10 confirmed that only those who have been double-jabbed by the NHS will be exempted from quarantine.

The vaccination information will also added to the Passenger Locator Form, and will be checked by the airline in the destination country.

Mr Shapps also said the government would remove the guidance to not travel to amber list destinations from 19 July, although he admitted that international travel “would not be the same”.

Most of mainland Europe sits on the amber list currently, including tourism hotspots France, Spain, Italy and Greece.

The UK’s slender “green list” includes Madeira, Malta and the Balearics, which have all seen uplifts in tourism as British holidaymakers zoom in.

No changes will be made to the guidance for “red list” arrivals, which mandates 11 nights of hotel quarantine.

The next traffic light reshuffle is due on 15 July.