Balkan variation: are Bulgaria and Croatia safe or not?

A day after Croatia and Bulgaria were upgraded from the UK government’s “amber list” because they present a low Covid risk, the Foreign Office is still warning against travel to both countries.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said on Wednesday that “passengers arriving into England after 4am on Monday 19 July will no longer need to quarantine on arrival” from either country.

Bulgaria is on the “green list,” while Croatia has joined the “green watchlist” – with the possibility of being moved back to amber at short notice.

While the change signifies a belief at the DfT that both nations represent a low risk of coronavirus infections, the Foreign Office deems Croatia and Bulgaria as too dangerous for non-essential trips.

The latest travel advice for Croatia and Bulgaria, revised on Wednesday, reflects the changes from the amber list, but maintains that the Foreign Office “advises against all but essential travel ... based on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks”.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive at Advantage Travel Partnership, tweeted: “Policy is misleading, unfair & labyrinth of secretly coded algorithms.”

Jet has added thousands of additional seats to Croatia and Bulgaria, including new routes to Bourgas in Bulgaria from Glasgow and Leeds Bradford.

But after the announcement of the upgraded status for the two Balkan countries, Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said: “It is frustrating that decisions continue to be made about international travel whilst the criteria for these decisions are withheld from us.

“Once again, we call on governments to be transparent, both with the data and their parameters for making decisions.”

The DfT says: “All classification changes are decided by ministers. These are informed by the latest data and analysis by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) and wider public health factors.”

The Independent understands that the Foreign Office advice for both Bulgaria and Croatia is likely to be revised before the new status takes effect on 19 July.