The government has also confirmed details of its long-awaited traffic light system for travel
The framework was set out by transport secretary Grant Shapps, with the report detailing how “international travel could resume from 17 May at the earliest in an accessible and affordable way”.
The government said this would include the removal of the existing “permission to travel form”, meaning passengers would no longer need to prove they have a valid reason to leave the country.
A traffic light system to categorise countries by their Covid situation was also confirmed, but the government said it remained too early to predict which countries would be on the Red, Amber and Green lists.
These details will follow “by early May”, along with confirmation of whether international travel will in fact be able to resume from 17 May. The allocation of countries will be kept under review, with a particular focus on “variants of concern”, it said.
Restrictions will be formally reviewed on 28 June, with further formal reviews taking place at checkpoints “no later than 31 July and 1 October”.
Meanwhile, a new “Green Watchlist” will be introduced to help identify countries at greatest risk of moving from Green to Amber status, which the government said would “provide greater assurance for those who wish to travel abroad”.
