LONDON (UK) – Britain will do away with a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries it deems to be at a lower risk of COVID-19 , the government said on Friday.
Official travel advice against all but essential travel outside Britain will also be relaxed for some countries and regions.
These changes will make it easier for Britons to travel abroad for summer holidays.
The relaxations are the latest initiated by the government to unwind emergency measures put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, as ministers look to limit the economic damage caused by the virus.
An panel will classify nations into three categories: green, amber and red. Passengers arriving from green and amber countries will no longer have to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
“Our new risk-assessment system will enable us to carefully open a number of safe travel routes around the world,” a government spokeswoman said. “But we will not hesitate to put on the brakes if any risks re-emerge.”
The rules for red-category countries will not change.
The quarantine policy, introduced on June 8, has been heavily criticised by airlines, airports and the hospitality sector who say it deters international travel at a time when they had been hoping for it to recover.
The categories are due to be announced next week, with the rule changes expected to come into effect the week after. They will be based on factors including prevalence of COVID-19, the trajectory of the disease and the reliability of data.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field