US no longer warns against UK travel in new advice
Country has moved from level four to level three
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Your support makes all the difference.The US has downgraded the UK’s risk level in a new travel advisory, stirring hopes that holidays across the pond could be possible in the not-too-distant future.
The UK was previously at level four in the States, with a “do not travel” warning.
On 10 May this advice was eased to a level three advisory: “reconsider travel”.
The alert level for a number of countries was downgraded at the same time, though roughly three quarters of all countries globally remain classified as level four.
The new guidance for the UK reads: “Reconsider travel to the United Kingdom due to Covid-19. Exercise increased caution due to terrorism.”
The next level down, level two, advises travellers to “exercise increased caution”. Israel has now been downgraded to this category.
A travel ban from the UK to the US has been in place since March 2020. It’s hoped by many in the travel industry that this could be lifted in the next month or two, in light of the UK’s decision to allow the resumption of foreign leisure travel from 17 May under a traffic light system.
On 7 May, transport secretary Grant Shapps revealed which countries had been selected for the “green list”, where the risk of reimporting Covid-19 to the UK is low enough that returning travellers need not quarantine.
Only 12 destinations qualified, with very few of them feasible as holiday destinations for Brits.
The US, along with the majority of countries, was graded amber. This means the Department for Transport currently advises against recreational travel there, and that a 10-day quarantine is triggered for all UK arrivals in addition to testing requirements.
The lists will be reviewed every three weeks, with any changes taking effect a week later.
Industry insiders have speculated that the US could join the green list by 4 July, Independence Day.
“We believe Europe will mostly turn green by end of June, as will the USA,” Paul Charles, travel consultant and CEO of the PC Agency, has previously tweeted.
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