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What the ‘traffic lights’ mean for travellers

Government
Rob Gill
9 April 2021

The “traffic lights” system for reopening international travel has been revealed. But what do the three categories – green, amber and red – mean for holidaymakers? The chart below gives details on what they have to do in terms of testing and quarantine when returning to England under the three categories:

What the traffic lights mean for travellers

The next key date will be in early May when the government reveals whether destinations will be given green, amber or red designations.

There will also be a green “watchlist” for those destinations in danger of moving into the more restricted amber category.


“It is too early to say which countries will be in the green category this summer. These decisions will be driven by the data and evidence at the time,” said the government’s Global Travel Taskforce.