Government to overhaul travel 'traffic light ' system

Business leaders have called for a continual review of countries on the international travel 'red list ' as the government prepares to overhaul its traffic light system.

From Monday 4 October, the existing traffic light system will be replaced with a single red list.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said eight countries will also be taken off the red list from Wednesday.

It means people returning to England from places such as Turkey will no longer have to stay in a designated quarantine hotel, while PCR tests are no longer required for fully-vaccinated travellers.

Mr Shapps said the day-two PCR test would also be replaced with a cheaper rapid lateral flow test later in October.

Raj Kandola, head of policy at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “We appreciate the government has to strike the right balance between opening up international travel whilst also minimising the spread of the virus and by simplifying the travel system.

“This will offer a much-needed boost to an industry that has suffered incredible losses throughout the pandemic.

“In particular, we 've seen anchor institutions in our region such as Birmingham Airport rocked to their core over the last 18 months and the latest measures are a step in the right direction on the long road to economic recovery.

“As we set out in our latest report, the Final Hurdle, simplifying the traffic light system and reducing the cost of travel will help to unleash pent up consumer and business demand across the industry.

“In order accelerate the restart of international travel, we would urge the Government to continually review the list of countries on the red-list and use a common-sense approach to avoid onerous testing requirements. ”

Click here to read the Chamber 's Final Hurdle report.