The Caribbean island of St Lucia could be added to Britain’s travel ‘red list’ today as ministers prepare to update the government’s traffic light rules – along with Morocco, Jamaica, Algeria, Nigeria And Ghana is also in danger
transport secretary Grant Shapps The latest changes to categories are expected to be unveiled this afternoon, which could add more countries to the hardest-hit tier, requiring returning travelers to stay in a quarantine hotel.
Spain, France, Portugal and Greece All are expected to remain on the ‘Amber List’, but Croatia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are the main candidates for that section to be on the ‘Green List’.
Travel experts also expect Turkey and Pakistan to remain on the red list despite the rumours, although it is hoped that the Maldives may be at least one country that turns from red to amber.
The update will be published by the UK government as aviation bosses keep asking politicians to end testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers returning from green and amber countries.
There are growing fears that the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia could be added to the travel ‘red list’.
Spain, France and Greece are all expected to remain on the ‘amber list’. The Promenade des Anglais is painted in Nice, France
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said there is a ‘strong’ case for moving Turkey from red to amber as it has begun supplying ‘enough data’ to GISAID, a genetically sequenced coronavirus There is a global database sharing data on test samples. However, he is not expecting it to move.
Mr Charles said he expected ‘very few traffic light changes’ to be made this afternoon as the government ‘just doesn’t have the bandwidth’ to deal with the situation in Afghanistan, the coronavirus and travel rules at the same time.
He told MailOnline: ‘There won’t be a lot of changes tonight and certainly won’t affect the major European markets in Spain, Portugal, Greece or France. I don’t expect Turkey or Pakistan to come out of the red list sadly.
‘We can add Morocco, Jamaica and St Lucia to the red list. Maldives can be moved from red to amber, which will be great news for future bookings for the winter period.
‘Croatia can be moved from green to amber. We should also see an expansion of the green list – with Poland, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic and Hungary as the main candidates.
Mr Charles, who has been analyzing traffic light movements and travel corridors since the pandemic began, also told MailOnline: ‘Consumers and the travel sector are tired of traffic light systems.
‘It lacks credibility because it is still a major obstacle to future trips with confidence for mass market bookings, as the government is switching countries from one color to another in a short amount of time.
‘It is time for an overhaul, and it should be replaced by a simpler, stop-go system. Either a country is red or it is open.
‘There is no need for frequent changes every two or three weeks and testing should be relied upon when re-entering the UK. Testing at affordable cost.’
Meanwhile, coronavirus data analyst Tim White warned that St Lucia was being placed in a ‘real crisis’ as ‘the numbers keep getting worse’.
He said 189 new daily coronavirus cases had been reported on the island, an 83 percent increase from a week ago. Two more deaths have been confirmed.
Mr White said Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana could also be put on the ‘red list’.
Holidaymakers wishing to return from Morocco before the change in status goes into effect may struggle to find flights due to a lack of spare capacity as a result of the upcoming August bank holiday weekend which is a prime period for travel.
Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to unveil the latest changes to categories this afternoon
Experts fear a spike in coronavirus cases on the island could cause St Lucia to be added to the ‘red list’
Experts also believe that the countries of Morocco, Ghana and Nigeria can be added in the top tier
But it is believed that the holiday hotspots of Greece, France and Spain will all remain on the ‘amber list’.
It came as Gatwick Airport bosses called on the government to end testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from green and amber locations in the UK.
All those arriving from ‘Green List’ places will have to undergo a pre-departure test and another after they land. Those traveling through Amber Country must pass a similar test, as well as a second post-arrival test.
Chief executive Stewart Winget said ending testing for double-jeweled passengers is key to keeping the UK aviation sector from ‘falling further’ into countries in Europe and North America.
He explained: ‘If our government wants to do this and follow the lead of other European countries, we are confident that demand will start to decline and passenger numbers will start to improve.
‘In the UK, we are at around 15-20 per cent of our pre-pandemic passenger volume. France and Germany account for about 50-60 percent of pre-pandemic passenger volume.
‘With the easing of travel restrictions, we should expect to see a very rapid improvement.’
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