Green list news live: Latest travel updates as Portugal drops to amber

The UK’s flag carrier has called the latest government review on international travel – which saw no new countries added to the green list, Portugal downgraded from green to amber, and seven additions to the red list – “incredibly disappointing and confusing”.

A British Airways spokesperson said: “This is incredibly disappointing and confusing news, not just for aviation but also for our customers. The UK has reached a critical point and urgently needs travel with low-risk countries, like the US, to re-start the economy, support devastated industries and reunite loved ones.

“With high levels of vaccinations in the UK being matched by other countries, we should see the UK Government adding destinations to ‘green’ as soon as possible – not turning its back on a traffic light model which we were led to believe was based firmly on scientific data.”

There is “no logic” behind Britain’s decision to remove Portugal from the green list, the Portuguese government has said.

Portugal’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it does not understand the “logic” behind the UK government’s downgrading of the holiday hotspot to amber in its latest review of the travel traffic light system.

“We took note of Britain’s decision to remove Portugal from the green list,” the ministry said on Twitter, adding that Portugal would continue to ease its lockdown rules “gradually” and implement measures to ensure the safety of those who live or visit the country.

The decision from the UK’s Department for Transport means arrivals from Portugal will have to self-isolate for 10 days from Tuesday 8 June onwards.

Additional reporting from agencies

Victoria Richards, Senior Commissioning Editor for the Voices desk at The Independent, is currently in Portugal on holiday.

She is flying home on Sunday night and is hoping she will be unaffected by the changes to the green list, after the transport secretary confirmed that Portugal would move from green to amber on Tuesday 8 June.

“I feel lucky – if the rumours are true that Portugal will go amber on Tuesday, it’ll mean I’ve just scraped through the window that means I won’t have to self isolate, unlike the friends I came to Portugal with,” she said.

“I will be able to start work at 7am Monday morning like usual – I really feel for those who won’t be able to, and who will have to shell out extra in PCR tests and lost earnings.”

Football fans returning from the Champions League final in Portugal have been told to self-isolate after multiple flights reported passengers testing positive for coronavirus.

Posting on one fan forum, passengers reported as many as five flights organised by Manchester City for the match against Chelsea have been affected.

The UK’s biggest tour operator has called the news that no new countries will be added to the UK’s travel green list – and that Portugal will be downgraded from green to amber – a “step back” for the travel industry.

Tui also accused the government of refusing to be “transparent” on the methodology behind its travel traffic light decisions.

Andrew Flintham, managing director for TUI UK, said: “This latest announcement is another step back for our industry. After promises that the Global Travel Taskforce would result in a clear framework, removing the damaging flip flopping we all endured last summer, the Government decision to move Portugal straight from green to amber will do untold damage to customer confidence. We were reassured that a green watch list would be created and a weeks’ notice would be given so travellers wouldn’t have to rush back home. They have failed on this promise.

“Unlike other European countries and despite multiple requests, the government has refused to be transparent about the data requirements for green, amber and red destinations. We must see the methodology so we can help our customers and plan our operations accordingly. There are destinations around the world with little or no Covid-19 cases and good vaccination rates, so we need to understand why these remain on the amber list.”

The latest podcast from The Independent’s legendary travel correspondent, Simon Calder, is out now.

In just a 10-minute listen, get up-to-date with all the changes to the green, amber and red lists and what it means for your summer holiday.

“As adventures and reconnections open up, the race to the sun is on,” says Simon. “But a journey overseas has the look of a constantly evolving obstacle course about it – with ‘go directly to quarantine’ the square no-one wants to land on.

“At a time when the rules of the travel game are changing daily, The Independent has created a new daily podcast on the top travel issues of the day.

“Each day I’ll bring you the latest news and give you my analysis in 10 minutest or less.”

Click here to access today’s episode.

Removing Portugal from the green list is a “safety first approach”, the transport secretary has said.

Grant Shapps said the move would “give us the best chance of unlocking domestically”, after Portugal’s infection rates doubled since the previous travel review.

There is also “a sort of Nepal mutation of the so-called Indian variant which has been detected, and we just don’t know the potential for that to be a vaccine defeating mutation,” he added.

He said that “patience is needed here” and “we don’t want to risk the 21 June reopening.”

Mr Shapps added: “goodness knows the travel industry has suffered,” and claimed support was ongoing.

Seven countries look set to be added to the UK’s red list in today’s review of the travel traffic light system.

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Trinidad & Tobago are expected to turn red, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, no new countries are going to be added to the already slender green list, according to reports.

In fact, the green list going to get even smaller – transport secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed that Portugal, the only holiday mainstay that’s currently green, is going to be downgraded to amber.

He called the move a “safety first approach” based on Portugal’s infection rate, which has doubled since the last review.

Read the The Independent’s breaking news coverage of the red list updates here.

Portugal is officially being downgraded to the amber list, the transport secretary has confirmed.

It was added to the green list when international leisure travel became legal again from mid-May, and tour operators and airlines piled on capacity to cater to a surge in demand.

The only mainstream tourism destination accessible to Brits that was on the green list, Portugal’s removal will be a blow to holidaymakers and the beleaguered tourism industry alike.

Grant Shapps announced the removal this afternoon, saying it was “a difficult decision to make” but stressing that the Covid infection rate has doubled in Portugal since the last review.

Read the The Independent’s breaking news coverage here.

Egypt looks set to move from the amber to the red list – despite having fully vaccinated all tourism staff in Red Sea and South Sinai resorts.

Staff working in establishments including hotels, resorts, cafes, restaurants, bazaars and tourism transportation in two tourism hotspots have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Egypt’s ministers of Tourism and Antiquities, Health and Population and Civil Aviation and Red Sea Governor made the announcement today in a press conference held during their visit to the Red Sea city of Hurghada to inspect the implementation of hygiene safety measures in airports, hotels and its temporary vaccination hubs.

“Vaccinating our staff is just one measure we are taking to ensure tourists can return to Egypt’s crowning jewels safely, quickly, and confidently,” said Egypt’s Minister of Tourism, Dr Khaled El-Enany.

“Covid-19 cases in the Red Sea and Sinai areas are negligible. Everyone involved in Egypt’s tourism sector has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and be able to offer a safe travel experience. Nearly a year since the resumption of tourism in Egypt, we are happy to note that the tourist numbers are steadily rising and have almost doubled since January and February 2021.

He added: “Now, we are opening our doors and extending a warm invitation to people from around the world who are fed up with staying at home and are desperate to travel for their summer vacation.”

Egypt, Afghanistan and Sudan are expected to join the UK’s travel red list in a review later today.