Govt to reveal destinations' traffic light status 'by early May'

Destinations will be sorted into green, amber and red categories based on four key criteria: the percentage of their population vaccinated against Covid-19; their rate of Covid infection; the prevalence of new Covid-19 variants of concern; and their access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing capabilities.

Additionally, a new "green watchlist" will highlight countries at greatest risk of being relegated from green status to amber, allowing travellers to plan their journeys with greater confidence.

The system is detailed in the long-awaited report from the government’s Global Travel Taskforce, which was tasked with demonstrating how international travel could resume from 17 May "in an accessible and affordable way".