What countries are on the Green List for holidays in Europe?

Here the PA news agency answers 11 key questions on what is happening:

– Can I go on holiday yet?

No. Overseas leisure travel from the UK is banned under coronavirus rules.

– When will that change?

May 17 is the earliest that overseas leisure travel will be allowed for people in England under Boris Johnson’s road map for easing restrictions.

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday there will be “some opening up” on that date.

– What about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

The devolved administrations have not set dates for the restart of foreign holidays.

– What will the rules be for returning to England?

That depends on where you have been. Destinations will be categorised as red, amber or green, with different quarantine and testing requirements.

– What happens if I go to a green country?

You will not need to self-isolate, and will only need one post-arrival test.

– How about amber and red?

People entering England from an amber country must quarantine at home for at least five days, and take a minimum of two post-arrival tests.

Those returning from a red list country must stay in a quarantine hotel for 11 nights at a cost of £1,750.

– What criteria will be used for putting countries into categories?

Assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country’s population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

– What destinations will be on the green list?

The Government will publish the list on Friday, but there is speculation it could include Portugal, Malta, Gibraltar and Israel.

– How about the most popular destinations?

Summer favourites such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece are expected to be on the amber list initially.

They could switch to green when the situation is reviewed at a “checkpoint” on June 28.

– Will other countries welcome UK tourists?

A number of popular destinations have expressed their desire for the return of UK holidaymakers this summer.

Portugal hopes tourists will be back in May, while Spain is planning to reopen for international visitors in June.

– What about vaccine passports?

Destinations are likely to require holidaymakers to show evidence they have received a coronavirus vaccine or taken a recent negative test.

Grant Shapps has confirmed that people in England will be able to display their status using the NHS app, but there are doubts over whether it will be ready for May 17.

---

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor