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Amber list countries: Which destinations are likely to require quarantine at home?

Amber list countries: Which destinations are likely to require quarantine at home?
Written by Travel Adventures

England and Wales will not allow travel abroad before Monday 17 May, but the government has now confirmed that – as travel restrictions start to ease – a traffic light system will be in place, consisting of green, amber and red list countries. We already have an existing red list, but both the amber and green lists have yet to be revealed. Here’s what we know.

What does it mean if a country is on the amber list?

The traffic light system will introduce a green, amber and possibly updated red list of countries, with each colour meaning different rules around testing and quarantining. For amber countries, that means one pre-departure test, plus quarantine at home for 10 days on arrival in England/Wales. In addition, PCR tests will be required on days two and eight of quarantine (reduced to day five by paying for the cost of an extra test on that day).

Istanbul, Turkey

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Which countries will be on the amber list for travel?

Sadly we don’t know for sure yet, so if you’re hoping to travel from 17 May it’s important to check the government’s website regularly for any updates.

However, we can make some educated guesses as to which countries will appear on which list. Green light countries will be those with low case rates, few emerging variants, high vaccine rates and access to genomic testing. Although European countries are hoping to speed up their vaccine rollouts, many have still only given a fraction of the population their first dose. For that reason, it’s expected that many European countries will make the amber list.

Possible amber list countries

1. Spain
2. Denmark
3. Greece
4. Cyprus
5. Turkey
6. Italy
7. Croatia

Fig Tree Bay, Cyprus

Getty Images

When will the travel list of countries be announced?

We don’t have a definite date yet, but on Friday 9 April, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘This is the first time I’m able to come on and say I’m not advising against booking foreign holidays.

‘Yes, you’ll want to check what the situation is in two or three weeks’ time when that list – the green, amber, red – is produced. You’ll want to know that you’ve got good holiday insurance and flexible flights and the rest of it.’

That means the countries, and which category they will fall under, should be revealed in early May.

The rules will be reviewed on Monday 28 June to see whether any measures can be rolled back, the government has said.

Like this? Now read:

Quarantine hotels UK: everything you need to know

Why you should think about booking a holiday now

Are UK hotels and Airbnbs open? The latest lockdown rules


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