Source – Evening Standard – United Kingdom: Holidays to Caribbean islands could be possible in just six weeks thanks to high vaccination rates.
Boris Johnson is expected to set out a framework for easing a ban on non-essential travel on Monday.
The restrictions were introduced to prevent variants of the virus from arriving in the UK with rule-breakers facing a £5,000 fine.
Whitehall sources told The Times that Mr Johnson would not commit to the restarting of travel to popular European holiday destinations like France and Spain, which have been gripped by a deadly third wave.
France has tightened restrictions after President Emmanuel Macron shut school for three weeks amid spiralling case numbers.
Italy entered a three-day lockdown on Saturday after registering 23,634 new cases and 501 deaths on April 1.
While travel to and from Europe may be limited, visiting destinations with the low coronavirus rates and high vaccination take-up could be a possibility from May 17.
Caribbean islands including Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados, which all have advanced vaccination rates, are tipped to be the first to reopen.
Countries will be graded either green, amber or red, according to how well they are coping with the pandemic.
Hesitancy towards the vaccine across parts of mainland Europe may mean that favoured continental destinations among British holidaymakers are deemed more high-risk than the likes of the US and Israel, where vaccination rates are good.
Yesterday the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh will be added to the so-called “red-list”.
From 4am on Friday April 9, international visitors who have departed from or transited through the four countries in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.
The DfT said only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK (including long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a Government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.
They will also be required to arrive into a designated port.
The latest restrictions take the total number of countries on England’s red list to 39.