Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Green list: Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway added

Quarantine-free travel possible from more seven more European countries

Helen Coffey
Wednesday 04 August 2021 17:10 EDT
Comments
Germany was bumped up to the green list
Germany was bumped up to the green list (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway have all been added to the green list in the government’s latest update to the traffic light system for international travel.

In an announcement on the evening of 4 August, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that all seven countries have “demonstrated they posed a low risk to UK public health”.

The move means that all arrivals from these destinations can avoid quarantine on entry to the UK, regardless of vaccination status.

Instead, they must take one Covid PCR test within two days of arriving, in addition to presenting a negative lateral flow prior to departure to the UK.

The changes will come into effect in England at 4am on Sunday 8 August.

It remains to be confirmed whether the same changes will be adopted by the other devolved nations, but previously Scotland and Wales have mirrored England’s changes to traffic light lists.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said of the latest update: “We are committed to opening up international travel safely, taking advantage of the gains we’ve made through our successful vaccination programme, helping connect families, friends and businesses around the world.”

“While we must continue to be cautious, today’s changes reopen a range of different holiday destinations across the globe, which is good news for both the sector and travelling public.”

No countries were demoted from green to amber.

The full green list is now comprised of 36 destinations, 16 of which are on the green watchlist, meaning they’re at risk of changing from green to amber.

Elsewhere, India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE have been upgraded from red to amber in welcome news to travellers, while Georgia, Mexico, La Reunion and Mayotte have been added to the red list.

As expected, France shed its “amber plus” status, meaning travellers arriving from there need not quarantine if they’ve been fully vaccinated.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in