Speaking at a press conference on May 7, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the "green list" includes 12 countries and regions, including Portugal, Israel, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, and will officially take effect from May 17.
Mr. Shapps emphasized that British authorities are still carrying out procedures to ensure safe travel, and people still have to test for COVID-19 before and after visiting tourist destinations on the "green list".
This is considered an "exploratory" step due to concerns about the risk of a resurgence of COVID-19. Mr. Shapps emphasized that the latest decision of the British Government is "a necessary caution." "We have to ensure that the countries we reconnect to are now safe."
New UK regulations put Türkiye, Maldives and Nepal on the "red list." This means people returning to the UK from these countries will have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.
According to official statistics released on May 7, the UK recorded 2,490 new patients, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 4,431,043. In addition, the country also had 15 more deaths, bringing the total number of people who died from the pandemic to 127,598.
However, these figures only count deaths within 28 days of first testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.
To date, more than 35 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
