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But virologists Prof Jangu Banatvala and Prof Deenan Pillay urged caution over the plans and warned that the enthusiasm for travel needs to be checked because it “flies in the face” of the need to control the virus.
Until vaccinations are complete, it would be “remiss to abandon all attempts to limit new variants being imported into the UK , they said.
Under the traffic-light system, people travelling to England from red-list countries – including those with links to Covid-19 variants such as Brazil, India and South Africa – will have to enter quarantine in government-approved hotels.
Travellers returning from countries on the amber list, which covers most of the world, must be isolated for 10 days at home and take Covid-19 tests on the second and eighth days.
Industry bosses have urged further clarity on when other holiday destinations could be added to the quarantine-free green list amid criticism the Government had been too cautious in its approach to unlocking international travel.
Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are among just 12 destinations which will be on the green list from May 17 – with some countries on the list still not accepting holidaymakers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the removal of the ban on international leisure travel was “necessarily cautious”, but sector leaders warned it could “delay the industry’s recovery”.
People returning to England from a green destination from May 17 will not be required to self-isolate and are only required to take one post-arrival coronavirus test.
Travel bosses call on Government to reveal when more countries will join green list
Tourism favourites like the USA, France and Spain are not included on the list of destinations UK travellers can go to from May 17
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