Government scrap isolation for double vaccinated Brits returning to England from amber countries

8 July 2021, 12:43

By Alice Dear

The guidance in place for travel to and from amber list countries will be scrapped on July 19, Grant Shapps has announced.

People travelling back from countries on the amber list will not be required to self-isolate on their return to England.

This new guidance will come into place on July 19, also known as 'Freedom Day'.

Grant Shapps announced the news in the House of Commons today, adding that holidaymakers and other people travelling overseas will still need to have a negative PCR test prior to their outbound and returning flights.

The Travel Secretary said: "I can confirm today from 19 July UK residents who are fully vaccinated through the UK vaccine rollout will no longer have to self-isolate when they return to England."

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Shapps said thanks to the vaccination programme we are "now in a position" where we can "start to look at how we can live with coronavirus" while "returning to a sense of normality".

People under the age of 18 returning from amber list countries will also not need to isolate when returning to England, and will also not need to take a coronavirus test on day eight.

Children aged between five and 10 will only have to take a day two test, while children ages four or under will be exempt from all testing and isolation.

The Travel Secretary noted that while holidaymakers will be ecstatic with the lift on the rules, the changes are also about "reuniting families", some of whom have not seen each other in 18 months.

However, he added that the lifting of the guidance will mean people can travel for business, leisure and to see loved ones.

For countries on the red list, no changes will be made from July 19, even if they are fully vaccinated.

This means people returning from red list countries to England will still be required to quarantine in Government approved hotels.

Countries will still be able to move from the amber to the red list, as the Government continue to keep an eye on emerging variants.

The countries currently on the amber list are:

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• The Bahamas
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• China
• Comoros
• Congo
• Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Curaçao
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic (Czechia)
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• French Polynesia
• Gabon
• The Gambia
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece (including islands)
• Greenland
• Guadeloupe
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macao
• Madagascar
• Malaysia
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Martinique
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mayotte
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• The Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Portugal (including the Azores)
• Réunion
• Romania
• Russia
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Sierra Leone
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• Spain (including the Canary Islands)
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Maarten
• St Martin and St Barthélemy
• St Pierre and Miquelon
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tonga
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Ukraine
• United States (USA)
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam
• Wallis and Futuna
• Western Sahara
• Yemen