THE UK's green list for travel has been updated and there are some destinations you can fly to from Bournemouth. 

People in England can visit countries on the government's green list without entering quarantine on their return.

Several countries have been added to the green list for foreign trips, as the Transport Secretary hinted that fully-vaccinated travellers will soon be able to enjoy greater freedoms to holiday abroad.

Short-haul destinations that have been added to the list include Malta, Madeira and the Balearic Islands.

The Caribbean islands along with Israel and Jerusalem have also been added but are at risk of moving to amber.

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Bournemouth Echo:

Grand Harbour, Malta - Unsplash

New countries will be moved to the green list from Wednesday, June 30.

Residents looking for cheap and easy flights to short haul destinations are in luck as Ryanair fly to Malta from Bournemouth Airport. 

The budget airline is currently offering bargain flights from Bournemouth to Malta for as little as £23 each-way August. 

There are also flights from Bournemouth Airport to Menorca, one of the Balearic islands. 

Tui flies to the destination with remaining tickets for July costing around £179. 

Which countries are on the green list?

The green list already consisted of Australia, Brunei, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands as well as St Helena.

New countries added to the list include:

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbados
  • Balearic Islands 
  • Bermuda 
  • British Antarctic Territory 
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands  
  • Cayman Islands
  • Dominica 
  • Grenada
  • Madeira
  • Malta
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn
  • Turks and Caicos Islands

  • Am I free to travel to the countries on the green and amber lists?  

    Places on the green watchlist can turn to amber at short notice meaning that if you are in one of these locations when its traffic light status changes, you may have to scramble to pay for a flight home before any changes to the rules take effect.

    Not all green list countries are accepting UK travellers and some may also require a test, which would add to the cost of the trip.

    Anyone travelling to Malta or Barbados from the UK must show evidence of a negative PCR test.

What do you have to do if you're travelling abroad?

The Government is using a traffic light system to determine the quarantine and testing requirements for returning travellers.

Bournemouth Echo:

PCR tests are required for travellers returning from Malta and Barbados in Green list (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Green means no quarantine and one post-arrival test, amber means a 10-day quarantine at home and two post-arrival tests, while red means hotel quarantine costing £1,750 for solo travellers.

Ministers have decided the changes to the countries on the traffic light list after looking at the analysis by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) and the wider public health situation.

Will the rules be relaxed? 

The Government is working on plans for quarantine-free travel from amber list countries for fully vaccinated holidaymakers which could be in place later in the summer.

It is expected that this will be a phased scheme that will start with UK residents. They will still have to take a pre-departure test and a test on Day 2.

The Government also intends to remove the guidance that people should not travel to amber countries.

Which countries have been added to the red list? 

Eritrea, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda have been added to the red list.

They have been deemed as presenting a high public health risk to the UK from known variants of concern, known high-risk variants under investigation or due to them having a high prevalence of Covid-19.