Green List Dismays Holidaymakers, Tour Operators and Airlines

UK green list Dismays holidaymakers, tour Operators and Airlines. Transport Secretary confirms Portugal is off the list.  British tourists in Portugal will see changes come into force tomorrow.  But Britons who return after June 8 will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days.

The UK Government’s green list has dismayed thousands of British holidaymakers in Portugal and caused the share value of airlines and tour operators to tumble.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed that Portugal has been relegated to amber.

“We simply don’t want to take the risk as we come up to 21 June and the review of the fourth stage of the unlock,” he said.

The government’s decision will anger holidaymakers and dismay travel industry operators, who will see the value of their companies plunge dramatically.

This afternoon before the list was announced shares in IAG, the parent company of British Airways, fell by five percent. Easyjet and Jet2 also fell by five percent, shares in Ryanair fell by 2.6 percent and Tui was down three percent.

Hopes had been high that Spain’s Canary Islands and the Balearics would be cleared for travel even if mainland Spain was not.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock insisted earlier today, “We’ve got to follow the data.”

“We’ve got to protect the progress that we’ve made here at home whilst of course allowing for travel when it’s safe to do so. We’ve got to follow the data,” he said in an interview with the BBC.

British tourists in Portugal will see changes come into force tomorrow.  But Britons who return after June 8 will be required to self-isolate at home for 10 days.

Seven countries were added to the red list: Afghanistan; Bahrain; Costa Rica; Egypt; Sudan; Trinidad and Tobago and Sri Lanka.

Aside from cautiousness about Covid-19, the government’s decision may have been influenced by concerns that Britain’s airports are not yet ready to handle an increasing number of passengers returning from foreign holidays.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, said the UK’s Border Force were woefully unprepared.

The Euro Weekly News is running a campaign to help reunite Brits in Spain with their family and friends by capping the costs of PCR tests for travel. Please help us urge the government to cap costs at https://euroweeklynews.com/2021/04/16/ewn-champions-the-rights-of-brits-in-spain-to-see-loved-ones-again/

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