Government rejects calls to scrap amber list as pressure continues to grow

The Government has said it stands firm on its travel list update despite calls for the amber list to be scrapped.

It comes after it downgraded Portugal from green to amber, meaning travellers will be forced to quarantine on their return to the UK - when rules come into force on Tuesday, June 8.

Airline bosses, service providers and holidaymakers were left outraged by the decision with low-cost airline Jet2 forced to delay the restart of its flights and holidays from June 24 to July 1, following the changes.

The Labour party has called for the amber list to be scrapped entirely.

The party’s shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, accused the government of causing “chaos with the mishandling of travel restrictions at the border”.

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick
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But Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, told Sky News on Friday that although he understood the situation was “frustrating”, Brits had always been warned a country’s classification could change.

He told the broadcaster: “We were also clear that if you choose to go on holiday to countries on the green list, those countries are being reviewed every three weeks, and so there was always a risk with a fast-moving situation with new variants that countries might either go on to that list, or indeed come off.”

Mr Jenrick went on to urge people to avoid visiting amber and red list countries.

Although it is not illegal to travel to a country on the amber list, he said: “You wouldn’t drive through an amber light at the traffic lights, you shouldn’t be going on holiday to those countries either.”

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On Thursday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Portugal was moved because the government wants to give the UK “the best possible chance of unlocking domestically” on 21 June.

He added that the emerging Nepal variant was also of concern.

Portugal, however, did not take kindly to the news and its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs questioned the UK’s decision.

He said: “We take note of the British decision to remove Portugal from the travel ‘green list’, the logic of which we cannot understand.

“Portugal continues to carry out its prudent and gradual deconfinement plan, with clear rules for the safety of those who live here and those who visit us,” he added.

Seven countries are also being added to the red list from the amber list including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sudan and Trinidad.

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