As you are probably aware, the UK government recently announced a new traffic light system for foreign travel, which could see summer holidays abroad being allowed from as soon as 17th May 2021.
The traffic light system sees countries placed on a red, amber or green list, based on a variety of COVID risk factors which have been identified by the Government.
Here is how it will work:
How will the Government decide which country goes on which list?
The UK Government has said that the key factors which will decide which list a country is based on are:
- The rate of infection
- The percentage of the population that has been vaccinated
- The prevalence of variants of the virus that are of concern
- The amount of access the country has to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing
On top of this, however, the Government also said that it is ‘too early to predict which countries will be on which list over the summer.’
It looks like there will be another update in early May, concerning the release of the actual lists and also a confirmation (or not) as to whether international travel can indeed start on the 17th of May or not.
It has also been revealed recently, that there will also be a fourth list, called the “green watchlist” which will contain countries on the green list which are at risk of moving to amber – in the hope of attempting to warn travellers in advance of potential changes to countries list ratings.
What are the PCR testing rules for each list?
- Red list. If you are arriving in the UK from a country that is on the red list, you will have to stay in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days, take a PCR test pre-departure and take a PCR test on day two and day eight.
- Amber list. If you are arriving in the UK from a country on the amber list, then you will need to quarantine for 10 days and take a PCR test on days two and eight. You will also have the option of taking an extra test on day five, called a Test to Release test, which may allow you to leave quarantine early (on receipt of a negative result)
- Green List. If you are arriving back into the UK from a country on the green list, you will need to take a pre-departure test as well as a PCR test on or before day two of your arrival back into the UK
How do I get a PCR test?
You can order your PCR test online from Fit2FlyTest, one of the Government’s approved private providers. We offer gold-standard PCR VOD_19 tests for travel which are simple for you to do at home and then send the swab back to us for testing. Your results and your certificate will be ready for you within 72 hours of us receiving the sample.
