No extra countries have been added to the government’s “green list” of destinations from which people can return to England without having to quarantine, a decision likely to dismay the travel industry and some Conservative MPs, The Guardian reported.
It had been anticipated that, at most, relatively few new places would be placed on the green list, and that these would not cover popular holiday destinations such as France and mainland Spain.
There was a lot of speculation in British media saying that the green list was expected to be updated today and include islands such as Zakynthos, Rhodes, Kos and Kefalonia.
Other publications want Mykonos and Santorini to be included in the same list.
The first incarnation of the green list, announced on May 7, comprised a dozen countries, but several were effectively inaccessible to arrivals, notably Australia and New Zealand.
The only mainstream tourist destinations were Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel.
The bulk of countries remain on the amber list.
While it is not illegal to go to one of these for a holiday, it is strongly discouraged.
People who come to the UK from one must take a Covid test before travelling, and on day two and eight once they are in the UK, and must quarantine at home or in a hotel for 10 days.
Anyone returning from the 30-plus red list countries has to undergo the same testing and quarantining regime, but do it while staying in one of the designated quarantine hotels, at a cost of £1,750 per adult.
Earlier today, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made special reference to the European digital COVID-19 certificate.
He noted that “Greece is one of the first six countries to have launched the process of issuing the certificate, which allows the restart of tourism and our economy.”
READ MORE: Mitsotakis: Shielded with COVID-19 vaccines, Greece welcomes the summer.
