LONDON — Britain stated Thursday that it intends to relax pandemic travel restrictions by allowing people who are fully vaccinated to visit a wide range of nations without having to self-isolate on their return.
The Department for Transport stated it expects to implement the new policy in phases later this summer. The change would apply to fully vaccinated individuals traveling to destinations on the government’s “amber” list, which currently covers much of the world, including the U.S. and most of the European Union.
The plans were announced after airlines and holiday providers demanded that the government ease restrictions on international travel that have crippled the travel industry. Protests took place across the nation on Wednesday with pilots, hoteliers, and travel agents demanding relief.
“We’re moving ahead with efforts to safely reopen international travel this summer, and thanks to the success of our vaccination program, we’re now able to consider removing the quarantine period for fully vaccinated UK arrivals from amber nations – showing a real sign of progress,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated in a statement.
Almost 61% of the UK adult population is fully vaccinated, whereas 83% have received one dose.
The government also added 17 nations and territories, including Malta, the Balearic Islands, and Madeira, to its “green” list of safe travel destinations. Individuals traveling to these destinations will no longer have to self-isolate for 10 days when they return to the U.K.
The destinations added to the green list are Malta, Madeira, the Balearic Islands, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica, Barbados, and Grenada. The changes take effect at 4 a.m. June 30.
