Will I get green for go or amber for self-isolation during my trip to Spain?

Simon Calder answers your questions on navigating the traffic light system and picking up people from Heathrow

Barcelona could be placed in a different list to other regions of Spain (iStock)

Q I hope to head to Spain for a short break on 25 June, returning on 28 June. I’m leaving just before the official review of the traffic light system. I expect Spain will be “amber”, but by the time I return I hope Spain will be “green”. Does that mean I’m treated as amber or green?

Derek B

A A quick reminder of the background. International leisure travel is illegal for people who live in the UK. That will change, for England at least, on Monday 17 May. Ahead of that date, the government will assign each country (and possibly individual components of a nation) a colour that specifies what happens when you arrive home from abroad.

Only people coming in from green list countries escape self-isolation, though they must take pre-departure and post-arrival tests at their own expense – likely to cost upwards of £100.

Amber arrivals must self-isolate at home for 10 days (reduced if you take an additional test on or after day five of quarantine) and pay for at least three tests. From red countries, 11 nights of hotel quarantine are mandatory, at a cost for a single traveller of £1,750, which includes two post-arrival PCR tests, but not the mandatory pre-departure test.

For many travellers, only green will do. Accordingly, there is much speculation about which nations will make it to this low-risk list. The data I am seeing suggests that Spain, along with almost all of the remainder of Europe, will initially be on amber. But I also predict that we will see Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece added reasonably quickly, probably in late June or early July.

The government says it will hold three “checkpoints” to review measures, “taking account of the emerging evidence and domestic and international health picture”. The first is due to take place no later than the day you come back, 28 June. But don’t place too much store in the status of the official review.

Leaks from government over the weekend suggest updates to the categories will be made fortnightly. So announcements could be made on 31 May, 14 June and/or 28 June.

Whether your part of Spain will be in the lowest risk category on 28 June is anybody’s guess. But let us assume that it is placed into green while you are away. The law that applies is the one in effect when you touch down back in the UK. If you are lucky, you would not have to self-isolate at home for 10 days. Conversely, though, if Spain is still amber when you return, but the very next day changes to green, you will be expected to serve the full duration of quarantine. I call this messy and stressful business “destination roulette”.

Stays in hotels for non-essential purposes are illegal until 17 May (Getty)

Q We have to collect our daughter-in-law plus six- and four-year-olds from Heathrow airport on 14 May. We live in Yorkshire. Are we allowed an overnight stay prior to pick-up under the current exemptions? Thanks in anticipation.

Phil T

A You are perfectly legally entitled to stay overnight if you can find self-contained accommodation – with its own entrance, bathroom facilities, etc. I’m sure you could find a suitable Airbnb or similar in the area around Heathrow. Stays in hotels for non-essential purposes are illegal until 17 May, three days after your trip.

You could reasonably argue the case for a stay at one of the many Heathrow hotels currently open, on the basis that you are providing essential family welfare care, and that the overnight stay in an airport hotel is a legitimate part of that responsibility. The hotel may well ask you for some sort of proof.

But I am going to ask you to consider something else: why would you want to drive from Yorkshire to Heathrow and back, increasing the risk to yourselves, compared with your daughter-in-law going on public transport with the children?

Heathrow to Yorkshire is a pretty easy journey – starting with the Piccadilly Line Tube direct to King’s Cross-St Pancras station, serving the adjacent termini. If the trio are heading for the Sheffield area, then London St Pancras is the way to go; for Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford and York, it’s London King’s Cross.

The trip by Tube and train would almost certainly be faster than driving, and definitely much safe in terms of overall risk. It would also lessen the impact on the environment. With the government urging everyone to “avoid making unnecessary trips”, I believe it would be the right thing to do, too. And you will collectively save money into the bargain, compared with the car journey and hotel stay; organise a digital “Family & Friends” railcard for your daughter-in-law for even bigger savings.

A number of countries and territories will be given green status from 17 May (Getty)

Q We’re hearing all about the “green list” that’s about to be announced. Does it guarantee we’ll be able to get into those countries?

Kate M

A Far from it. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, will soon reveal the new “traffic light” system that will apply to UK arrivals from 17 May onwards. It is only concerned with the public health measures that travellers must undertake when they come back from holidays and other trips abroad. The green category will, for many people, be the only viable option: arrivals will escape the need to quarantine, though they must pay £100 or more for Covid tests – one before departure for the UK and one after arrival.

I predict the green list will contain around 30 nations and territories – the majority of which will be entirely irrelevant. Also, just because a country is rated green doesn’t necessarily mean we are welcome.

A number of countries and territories will be given green status even though they won’t let British visitors in (Australia, New Zealand) or are impossible to reach without passing through amber or red locations, such as far-flung British Overseas Territories. They should probably be in a separate grey category.

Even close to home, the much-discussed candidates will need to change their rules before we are allowed to visit for holidays. Gibraltar, Iceland and Israel are odd-on favourites, with Malta probable and Portugal possible.

Portugal, the only big, mainstream, mass-market destination is currently in a “situation of calamity” – though conveniently that status ends on 16 May. The other locations have restrictions, with Iceland saying: “We’re open – but only if you’ve been vaccinated twice.” (Bear in mind, incidentally, that vaccination means nothing when coming back to the UK – the same rules apply to every arrival.)

Initially, I believe international travel will be for the bold and the desperate – with high levels of hassle, cost, and uncertainty. For example, what happens if your Covid test before your flight home is positive, or your “green” country suddenly turns red or amber? But by midsummer, I expect the picture will look very different, in Europe at least.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder