Summer holiday hopes boosted as Portugal is removed from UK travel ban list
15 March 2021, 18:02 | Updated: 15 March 2021, 18:24
Portugal will be removed from England's travel ban red list meaning people arriving into the UK from there will not need to enter hotel quarantine.
The decision means returning travellers will be able to quarantine at home, rather than in a hotel at a cost of £1,750.
Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar have been added to the red list to "protect the country against new variants of Covid-19", the Department for Transport said.
The changes come into force at 4am on Friday.
The move may boost hopes Brit sun seekers may be able to go abroad for a break this year.
Under Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown, foreign travel will be allowed no earlier that May 17.
It comes as Turkey announced British holidaymakers may be welcomed this summer without the need for proof of coronavirus vaccination or a negative test result.
Portugal could open borders to holidaymakers from May, Tourism sec.
Tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy said the country is "looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms".
He said: "We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey."
The news also comes as France and Germany suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine amid concerns over side effects.
Ten nations so far have suspended use of the vaccination due to concerns over blood clots with France and Germany adding to the list of countries today.
Emmanuel Macron confirmed this afternoon that France is suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as a precaution.
Germany's Federal Ministry of Health announced earlier that the use of the vaccine was being suspended.
The country's Health Ministry said the move was a "precaution" on the advice of Germany's national vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, to allow for the reports to be investigated.
READ MORE: AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots: What’s the evidence?
The Netherlands announced last night that it was suspending use of the jab until March 29.
The UK's regulator says there is no evidence the vaccine causes clots. The World Health Organisation has also said there is no evidence of a link to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
