“Industry leaders in the travel sector have warned the government that the expansion of the green travel list does not go far enough.”
Travellers from 16 new places added to the list, including Spain’s Balearic Islands, will no longer have to quarantine from 4:00am Wednesday morning.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, also stated that the government has plans to drop quarantine for fully vaccinated people returning from any amber list countries later in the summer.
However, EasyJet has issued a reply saying the timetable “simply isn’t ambitious enough.”
Garry Wilson, Chief executive stated that there has been a “huge surge” in UK residents booking holidays to destinations that are being added to the list.
He also went on to question why other popular holiday destinations such as the Canary Islands and the Greek Islands, had not also been added to the list.
And then criticised the government for delaying fully vaccinated people from being able to travel, adding the UK was “falling behind Europe.”
The secretary of transport added that several issues such as the possibility of children being given the vaccine and how non UK residents could prove their vaccination status still need to be sorted before the system can be given the go ahead.
Mr Shapps remarked to the BBC Breakfast team that was he called a “fairness issue” due to younger people not having the opportunity to have their second jab.
He then defended the green watch list saying it was a “maximal transparency approach” but there is no guarantee that the green travel list will stay the same as some countries status’s could be changed with only short notice.
The destinations being added to green list from 4:00am BST on Wednesday 30th June are:
- The Balearic Islands (which include Ibiza, Menorca, Majorca and Formentera), Malta and Madeira
- Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands
- Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory and Pitcairn
The department of transport has stated plans to remove certain travel guidances in the near future. Those guidances include not travelling to amber list countries, they will also take medical advice on whether testing frequently could provide a safer alternative to children accompanied by a vaccinated adult.
A depart spokesman has also confirmed that further details on the subject will not be released until next month.
