Britain Eases Travel Ban; Singapore, Iceland Among 12 Destinations Now In Green-List

By Pooja Shrivastava

Britain has announced that the coronavirus ban on international holiday travel to some of the destinations will be lifted due to their low infection and high vaccination rates. The announcement was made on May 7, Friday, and will be effective from May 17.

"I'm announcing today that from May 17 you will be able to travel to 12 green-list countries... which include Portugal, Gibraltar, and Israel," Transport Minister Grant Shapps said.

Shapps added that this is just a first step.

The 12 green-list destinations are Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, and Israel.

The travel ban continues to remain on other popular destinations such as France, Spain, and Greece. These countries are not yet on the green-list, which is reviewed every three weeks.

Britain was observing a strict travel ban to curb the spread of coronavirus. It is currently illegal for anyone in the country to travel abroad for holidays. People arriving from a so-called "red-list country" must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days upon arrival.

Furthermore, Turkey, alongside Maldives and Nepal, was added to the red-list countries list recently. The news came as a disappointment for football fans as two popular English football clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea, are due to play in the Champions League final in Istanbul to be held on May 29.

Shapps has advised fans not to travel to Turkey.

 "It does mean, I'm afraid... that fans should not travel to Turkey.

"The FA (Football Association), I have to tell you, is in discussions with UEFA already on this. We are very open to hosting the final round."