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Traffic lights: A legal take on the plan to restart travel

Government
22 April 2021

The UK government recently confirmed the introduction of a three-tier traffic light system to categorise countries by Covid risk ahead of the resumption of international travel from England.

The traffic lights system needs a revamp, says Robert Boyle

Unfortunately, we do not yet know which countries will be placed in each category, although this is expected in early May.

We do, however, have a good indication as to what rules will be in place depending on whether a country is categorised "red", "amber" or "green".


Countries will be categorised based on Covid-19 risk, including levels of Covid vaccination and success of vaccination programmes.

The measures only govern the rules for returning to the UK; individual countries may have their own additional Covid border controls and measures travellers will need to comply with to enter.