UK changes rules for fully jabbed people

It would apply to England, but Covid travel rules have tended to be unified across the UK.

Currently, people coming into the UK from amber list countries and territories, covering the bulk of places and including major holiday destinations including France, mainland Spain, Italy and mainland Portugal, need to quarantine for 10 days.

This leaves only the 20 or so places on the green list as viable holiday choices, with only a handful of them, such as Malta and the Portuguese island of Madeira, being mainstream tourism destinations.

It has been expected for several weeks that the rules would be changed to allow people who have received two Covid vaccine doses to avoid quarantine, with the exemption also applying to children.

This would tally with other policies to ease restrictions on the fully vaccinated.

From 16 August, people who have received both vaccinations, and those under 18, will no longer have to self-isolate if they have come into close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid.

This will only apply if people have received their second vaccination at least 10 days beforehand, with a similar stipulation likely to apply for travel.

However, the change will not remove all complications for overseas travel this summer.

Currently, all passengers returning from the amber list countries must take Covid tests before they travel and on days two and eight of their return.

Even if test requirements are unified with a green list countries for those who are fully vaccinated, travellers would still need to take tests before their return and on arrival.

Other counties also have their requirements.

There are also wider concerns in some European countries about the scale of Covid infections in the UK.

 

Rules for green list countries

• The green list is made up of a small number of destinations.
• If you're returning from a green list country, you must:
• Take a Covid-19 test before departure and have proof of a negative result
• Book a test for day two after your return
• Complete a passenger locator form
• You do not need to quarantine unless your day-two test is positive, or NHS Test & Trace says you have travelled with someone who tested positive.

Rules for amber list countries

• The vast majority of countries are on the amber list.
• The government advises people not to travel to amber destinations, although it is not against the law.
• If returning from an amber list country, you must:
• Take a Covid-19 test before departure and have proof of a negative result
• Book a Covid-19 test on days two and eight after your return
• complete a passenger locator form quarantine for 10 days
• The government has also scraped quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated people returning from amber countries.

Rules for red list countries

Red list countries are those the UK government says present the highest risk from Covid, and should not be visited "except in the most extreme of circumstances".

Dozens of countries are on the red list, including India, Pakistan, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa. If you have been in one in the last 10 days, you can only enter the UK if you are the UK or Irish national, or UK, resident.

If you're returning from a red list country, you must:

• take a Covid-19 test before departure and have proof of a negative result.
• complete a passenger locator form.
• self-isolate for 10 days in a government-approved quarantine hotel, which you must book and pay for in advance.