Brits WILL have to quarantine if Spain is added to amber plus list next week, warns minister

BRITS on holiday in Spain WILL have to quarantine next week if the country is moved to the amber plus list, the Foreign Secretary has suggested.

Dominic Raab refused to rule out the removal of Spain from the amber list, with it feared that the new rules could be enforced at the next travel update.

When asked if Spain would be put on the amber plus list, he said: "You'll know next week at the latest. You have to judge it on the basis of the traffic light system we have got in place right now.

"We can't give cast-iron guarantees on what the next review will decide. If we didn't it wouldn't be a very meaningful review system."

He added: "What we want to do is open up with the minimum inconvenience for people but we have just got to be totally vigilant for all these different permutations of the variant."

If it is placed onto the amber plus list, then even Brits who have been fully jabbed will have to quarantine for 10 days at home when returning to the UK, as well as pay for three Covid tests – one pre-arrival and two during isolation.

It would join France, who is currently the only other country on it.

There are also fears of another new traffic light measure, of an "amber watch list," which means any countries on them could be moved to the red list at short notice.

This would be similar to the green watch list, of which Madeira is included as one of 14 on the list – which means it could move to amber at short notice.

CAN'T RULE IT OUT

Asked by Sky News if he could confirm the new amber watchlist, Mr Raab said he "can’t rule things" out, with a decision to be made next week.

However, he did provide some hope for families, saying they were optimistic that more destinations will be added to the green list.

He added: "I think personally it feels like the momentum forward is positive, because the double vaccination reaching 70 per cent. 

“We've done the job we’ve had to do domestically, as you see other countries catch up if you like, I think we're increasingly confident that more countries will go either on the amber, or green.”

The green list – which requires no quarantine even if not fully vaccinated – currently includes Malta, Croatia and Iceland.

Double-jabbed travellers from the US and EU will also be allowed to enter England without the need for quarantine from next week.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed yesterday: "From August 2 at 4am people from these countries will be able to come to the England from an amber country without having to quarantine if they're fully vaxxed."

 

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