The Latest Countries to join each List
This evening, Thursday 26th August, the awaited travel review was announced by the Department for Transport. The traffic light system remains in place with two main changes. An additional seven countries have been added to the green list whilst two others move from amber to red.
Montenegro and Thailand have moved from the amber list to the red list whilst Canada, the Azores, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland have all been given the green light. The Scottish government has announced the same changes as the UK whilst the Welsh government are yet to confirm their position. These changes will come into effect from 4am on Monday 30th August.
Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson said after the announcement: “The latest changes are welcome for Scots with loved ones in Canada but once again show that international travel remains challenging.” He added: “It is vitally important we protect that progress through continued vigilance on importation, and we continue to urge caution given the risks caused by variants of concern.”
Red, amber, green – what does it all mean in practice?
Green: arrivals must take a pre-departure test three days before returning to the UK, as well as a PCR test on or before day two of their return. They do not have to quarantine unless their test is positive, and there is no requirement for additional tests.
Amber: all travellers are required to take a pre-departure test three days before returning as well as a PCR test on or before day two of their return. Travellers who are not fully vaccinated must also self-isolate for 10 days and take a second PCR test on day eight of their return. An optional day-five test can be taken, with a negative result allowing travellers to “test out” of quarantine, but the day-eight test must still be taken regardless of the result.
Red: arrivals must undertake a 10-day quarantine in a managed hotel at a cost of £2,285 per solo adult (with more charges for additional people sharing a room) as well as pre-departure testing, and mandatory PCR testing on or before day two and on or after day eight.