Canary Islands ‘to be added to travel green list from July 15’ as double-jabbed Brits set to return without quarantine
DOUBLE-JABBED Brits could be jetting off to the Canary Islands and not quarantining when they get back home from July 15.
A Canaries tourist chief said he was expecting Downing Street to make an announcement within days.
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“From July 15 it appears the British Government is not going to force people to quarantine when they come to a destination like the Canary Islands,” Jose Manaricua, president of the Federation of Entrepreneurs and Hoteliers of Las Palmas said.
“It means we can look forward to receiving British tourists who will not have to self-isolate when they return.”
No 10 was slated to open up travel hotspots like the Canaries from August.
Mainland Spain and other Mediterranean countries could be removed from the UK’s amber list, which currently forces Brits to quarantine for 10 days.
The announcement came days after Transport Minister Grant Shapps put Spain’s Balearic Islands – which includes Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza – on the green list.
UK holidaymakers will be able to fly to islands like Majorca from 4am Wednesday without needing to quarantine on return.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also scrapped its no-go travel advice to the Canary and Balearic Islands.
Airlines are scrambling to keep up with demand for tickets.
Ryanair has added 200,000 seats to the Balearics and Malta, Jet2 has added 70 flights and TravelSupermarket says searches for Malta are up 837%.
Travel agency Thomas Cook has sold more holidays to the Balearics in the past 24 hours than the rest of June put together, with Majorca being their top seller, it said.
Islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera are no longer requiring tourists to get tested if they’ve had at least one jab.
Spanish authorities and travel leaders are warning Brits to observe Covid rules in order to avoid suffering the same fate as Portugal, which was kicked off the government’s green list earlier this month just after three weeks.
Cristina del Rio Fresen, leader of global tourism safety for the Canary Islands, told BBC Breakfast: “If you have been vaccinated, all you have to show is a vaccine certificate.”
“Even Brits with one jab can skip the test requirements, as long as the first dose was taken at least 15 days before arrival, and within four months of travelling.
“Brits who have recovered from Covid also won’t need a test but will need official medical documents showing proof of infection.”
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Anyone returning from Spain must quarantine for 10 days at home back in the UK, as well as have a pre-arrival Covid test and two on day two and day eight.
More countries could be added on the next green list update – June 28 – although fears of the new Indian variant, in particular the Nepal strain, may prevent more holiday destinations being added.
Seven countries were also added to the UK’s red list, including Egypt and Costa Rica.
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