Government ready to scrap 'amber watchlist' plan

It comes after prime minister Boris Johnson on Monday (2 August) said he wanted "simple" and "user-friendly rules" in regards to travel during the pandemic.

His comments came during a visit to Airbus’s new headquarters in Stevenage on Monday (2 August), just a day after chancellor Rishi Sunak called for a further easing of travel rules.

The BBC, citing "government sources", reports that no new categories will be added to the traffic light system this week, with a review due in the coming days.

The amber watchlist would have warned people when a destination was at risk of a sudden shift from amber to red, which would require UK nationals and residents to quarantine in a hotel – at their own cost of £1,750 – upon their return to the country.

According to The Guardian, Johnson dropped the plans after a cabinet revolt and backlash from the travel industry, which warned the proposal would hit confidence in travel to amber destinations such as Spain and Greece.