Covid: Summer holiday hope for Britons as Europe proposes to ease travel restrictions

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The European Commission is proposing to allow entry to holidaymakers from countries with a low number of Covid cases and a high vaccine rollout.

Britons hoping to jet off for a holiday this summer have been given a boost after the Prime Minister said some foreign travel could take place later this month and Europe proposed opening its borders to travellers.

Boris Johnson said there will be “some opening up” on 17 May when the next step of his roadmap comes into effect.

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Which countries will be on the ‘green list’?

Britons hoping to jet off for a holiday this summer have been given a boost (Shutterstock)Britons hoping to jet off for a holiday this summer have been given a boost (Shutterstock)
Britons hoping to jet off for a holiday this summer have been given a boost (Shutterstock)

And the UK government’s “green list” of countries to which people can travel without having to isolate for 14 days on their return is expected to be released this week, although it is understood details are still being finalised.

Reports suggested the list could include about a dozen countries, although some newspapers suggested it could be fewer than 10.

Both The Times and The Guardian said destinations likely to make it onto the list for travel from May 17 include Portugal, Malta and Gibraltar, while the Telegraph said Spain, Greece and France could be added by the end of June.

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EU ‘to allow entry to some travellers’

While The European Commission proposed to ease restrictions on travel to countries in the bloc amid progressing Covid-19 vaccination campaigns and lower infection rates.

The commission said it is proposing “to allow entry to the EU for nonessential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation, but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine”.

It was not said which countries would be on its list, but one unnamed EU official said the UK remains a “question mark”.

Warning over ‘influx of disease’

Mr Johnson also warned people to be sensible and cautious to foreign travel this summer to avoid “an influx of disease”.

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The Prime Minister said there will be “some opening up” on May 17, the next milestone in the Government’s road map for restrictions to lift, but that things must be done in a way “to make sure that we don’t see the virus coming back in” to the UK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, meanwhile, expressed certainty over a “great British summer” ahead as he confirmed that a total of 50 million Covid-19 jabs have been given out across the UK.

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