People hoping for an overseas trip this summer – and those hoping to sell them that break – are furious after the UK government announced changes to the list of approved destinations.
Portugal, which was the only viable popular destination on the green list, will be moved to the orange list.
This means people returning from there will have to self-isolate at home for 10 days under coronavirus restrictions and take two PCR tests.
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Other popular destinations such as Spain, Greece, Italy and France remain on the orange list.
Sri Lanka and Egypt are among the seven countries going on the red list, which means returnees must quarantine themselves in a government-approved hotel for 11 days at their own expense.
British travelers already in Portugal are in a hurry to return to the UK before the new rules begin in the early hours of Tuesday, June 8.
One man told Reuters news agency: “You have to have an open or a closed system.
“There are families taking children out and people have been booking vacations for a long time.
“If it’s closed, shut it. But you know the stress it puts on people now …”
Another said: “The constant change of goalposts – that’s the frustrating side of it.
“If you are going to open up travel, you have to commit to doing it, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction by allowing it a month and then changing it a few weeks later.”
Airlines and travel agencies have also reacted angrily to the changes, having spent much of the past 18 months trying to run their businesses under the cloud of ever-changing government rules.
A British Airways spokesperson said the news was’ incredibly disappointing and confusing ‘, adding:’ The UK has reached a critical point and urgently needs to travel with low risk countries, such as the United States. United, to revive the economy, support devastated industries and bring loved ones together.
“With high levels of vaccination in the UK …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-03 15:49:00
