Grant Shapps has announced that fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to quarantine when returning from countries on the amber list. However, they will still need to pay for PCR tests before and after their return.
The new rules come into effect at 4am 19 July and only apply to those arriving in England. Under-18s returning from amber list countries would also be exempt from quarantine.
“To be clear, a full vaccination means 14 days have passed since your final dose of the vaccine,” Grant Shapps said.
He added: “In essence, this means that for fully vaccinated travellers the requirements for green and amber list countries are the same.”
Shapps continued: “Thanks to this government’s incredible success with the vaccine programme, people in England will be able to travel more easily, visit their family and friends who they’ve not seen for such a long time, and also get business moving again, kickstarting our economy while keeping the UK safe and supporting a wide range of jobs and industries in the process.”
Passengers arriving from amber list countries will be able to prove their vaccination status using the Covid pass on the NHS app, or by obtaining an accessible letter.
The UK government’s traffic light system applies to England, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland able to make their own rules.
Currently arrivals from green list countries do not have to self-isolate when they get back to the UK if their mandatory Covid-19 test is negative.
More than 50 countries are on the red list, which requires arrivals to pay to self-isolate in a government approved quarantine hotel for 10 days.
Grant Shapps said the changes on 19 July would bring amber list countries in line with green list countries, but warned that “an amber list country could still turn red, necessitating a change in behaviour.”
John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow, said: “This is excellent news that will give a much-needed boost to millions of people across Britain looking forward to a more normal summer.”
Image credit: Heathrow
