Which countries could be added to the green list? Will Spain, Greece and Croatia move from amber at next travel update

International travel is now permitted following the latest easing of lockdown restrictions across the UK.

Trips abroad are dictated by a new traffic light system for travel which is currently in force, categorising countries into green, amber and red lists, with different restrictions applied to each.

Holidaymakers have been urged to only travel to countries on the green list, which is limited to 11 destinations at the moment, and to avoid visiting any locations listed as amber or red.

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However, several popular holiday spots have not been included on the green list, including Spain, Greece Croatia, Cyprus, France and Italy, meaning trips abroad are still on hold for many.

Here’s what you need to know about the next travel review and the countries that could potentially be added to the green list.

When is the next travel update?

The UK government has said the it will update the travel lists every three weeks, following an evaulation of the Covid-19 risk posed by different countries.

The most recent update took place on 3 June, meaning the next review can be expected to be made on 24 June, although the government has not yet confirmed a set date.

If the next review follows the same pattern, any countries which change status will be moved to a different list five days after the update, meaning more destinations could be added to the green list on 29 June.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the government will have “no hesitation” in moving countries off the green list if necessary, and said it will “wait and see” what the recommendations are from the Joint Biosecurity Centre before making an announcement.

What criteria will be considered?

The decision on which countries are added to, or removed from, each list is based on a range of criteria, which takes into account public health advice and the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s assessment of the latest Covid data.

The criteria for the lists includes:

- The percentage of a country’s population that have been vaccinated

- The rate of infection

- The prevalence of variants of concern

- The country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing

Which countries could be added to the green list?

It was expected that Malta, Finland, the Cayman Islands, and a series of Caribbean islands would change from amber to green at the last review, but these countries all remain unchanged. If these destinations continue to reduce Covid-19 case numbers, they could move from amber to green at the next review.

It was also thought that some European destinations would also be added, with some Spanish and Greek islands, including the Balearics and Canaries, expected to turn green, but at the moment only 11 countries are included on the list.

It is thought that countries which have a good vaccination rollout will most likely move on to the green list after the next review, providing Covid-19 case rates are low.

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