Turkey ‘expects’ to be removed from UK red list for travel

Country believes ‘scientific data’ should secure an amber upgrade

Red list Bodrum could go amber (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Turkey “expects” to be removed from the UK’s red list at the upcoming government review of the traffic light lists for international travel.

The embassy in London revealed that it believe the “scientific data” should finally secure it a place on the amber list.

“The scientific data on Covid-19 support our expectation that Turkey will be removed from the red list at the upcoming review,” it said in a statement shared with Sky News.

The country, popular with British tourists, has been on the “high risk” red list since international travel from the UK became legal again under the traffic light system back in May.

Red status necessitates all arrivals to the UK to pay for 11 nights of mandatory hotel quarantine at a cost of £2,285 per solo traveller.

The embassy highlighted that its seven-day average for new Covid infections is 232.46 per 100,000 according to Our World In Data – roughly half that of the UK’s rate of 464.76.

The EU recently agreed to accept Covid certificates issued in Turkey, while the embassy also argued that the nation has improved its genomic sequencing and has fully vaccinated more than half of all adults.

“We expect the UK to take into account all these developments and remove Turkey from the red list this week,” said the embassy’s statement.

The percentage of travellers from Turkey to the UK testing positive for Covid has almost halved since March and April, from 3 per cent down to 1.7 per cent – roughly the same as amber-list Spain, according to NHS Test and Trace data.

Some in the travel industry have argued it’s time for the country to become accessible for holidaymakers again.

“Turkey very much deserves to be on the amber list as it has some of the best Covid safety policies in place, especially in hotels and other tourist areas, and has worked hard to reduce its infection rates,” said travel consultant Paul Charles.

“Many agree it feels safer there than it does in the UK.”

The next review of the UK’s travel lists is expected to be announced on 25 or 26 August.