More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Holiday hotspots will be graded using a traffic light system allowing quarantine-free travel to the safest countries, it has been reported.
Foreign destinations will be ranked Green, Amber or Red under the new rules, allowing Brits to fly to those with the best vaccine rates without isolating on their return.
But with Covid cases surging and low jab rates across Europe, holidaymakers from Kent face having to travel further abroad for a quarantine-free summer getaway.
Boris Johnson is expected to reveal details of the new measures when he publishes the findings of the Global Travel Taskforce on Monday.
As part of the roadmap out of lockdown, May 17 has been given as the earliest date for international travel, but it is widely thought Britain will not reopen its borders until at least June.
Under the new rules, anyone returning from a Green country will be told to take a pre-flight lateral flow test at their own cost, then a “sequencing test” within days of landing to check for new strains.
Importantly, they will face no isolation period unless they test positive.
People travelling home from Amber countries will face the same testing requirements as Green destinations, but will have to isolate at home for 10 days after arrival.
They can get out after five days with a negative test paid for privately.
National media reports on the requirements for Red countries differ, with The Times suggesting travel will be banned, and The Sun reporting that people will have to isolate on their return in an authorised hotel at their own cost — as is the current set-up.
Hesitancy towards the vaccine across parts of mainland Europe may mean that favoured continental destinations among British holidaymakers are deemed more high-risk than the likes of the US and Israel, where vaccination rates are good.
It is expected that most of Europe will be given Amber status.
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye has backed the plans, telling the BBC: “If you look at Israel, very low Covid levels, very high vaccination levels, they should be one of the first to be opened up to international travel.
“Then of course the United States, a massive market for the UK — 20 per cent of our passengers are going to and from the US.
“They have high vaccination levels and low Covid levels. They should be at the front of the queue.”
