COVID holidays: Seven new countries added to the UK's green list

Your summer holiday vacations might very well still be an option. After a back and forth with certain amber-listed countries, the UK government has eased its travel restrictions allowing Britons to visit new destinations quarantine-free.

Changes coming this weekend

From Sunday, British tourists returning from France will be spared quarantine while seven new European countries will be added to the green list. These new destinations include: Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia.

After rumours circulating that it would be added to the red list, Britons only narrowly dodged the bullet of having to spend over £2,000 on a hotel quarantine when returning home from Spain. However, they will still need to provide a PCR test upon returning back from the Iberian country.

On the other hand, Mexico, Georgia, La Reunion and Mayotte will be turning red this weekend leaving many British travellers fuming as they currently find themselves in those countries. Meanwhile, the status of India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will switch from red to amber, meaning arrivals from those countries will no longer have to spend 11 nights at pricey quarantine hotels. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

[the Government is] committed to opening up international travel safely, taking advantage of the gains we've made through our successful vaccination programme.

He went on:

While we must continue to be cautious, the changes reopen a range of different holiday destinations across the globe, which is good news for both the sector and travelling public.

Hotel quarantine prices on the rise

The travel updates come as the government has decided to up the prices to 'reflect the increased costs involved.' As of August 12, the rate for solo travellers will rise from £1,750 to £2,285, while additional adults sharing a room will see their bill hiked from £650 to £1,430.

Children over the age of 12 are charged at the same rate as adults, while parents will have to cough up an additional £325 for those aged between five and 12.