These countries would likely be listed as 'green' under a traffic light travel system

Boris Johnson’s government is reportedly set to introduce a ‘traffic light system’ for travel abroad. The system would see destinations designated a green, amber or red rating depending on the country’s Covid-19 situation. It is thought that the rate of infection, the stability of said rate, and the effectiveness of vaccination programmes will decide which colour destinations are assigned. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks set to provide more detail on the opening up of international travel at 5pm on April 5. Holidaymaking Britons will be hoping that their destination of choice is given the green light as it will allow them to visit and return without quarantining. Here’s what you need to know about green rated countries. Has the traffic light system been confirmed? Not yet, so don’t go booking your holiday abroad just yet. Some scientists have sounded warnings that the new system could be too simplistic and the traffic light system is reportedly one of several measures being considered by Boris Johnson’s government. Gabriel Scally, a member of the independent SAGE committee told the Guardian: “It is not quite as simple as looking at what the situation is in an individual country from which a flight originated. “We know people will mix together from all over the world, and this is what spurred the autumn surges of cases.” How does a country qualify for the green rating? No official criteria has yet been published by the government, though The Times and The Sun have both reported that green-listed countries would be exempt from quarantine measures. Countries who have a grip over the coronavirus pandemic – low and stable infections rates and an efficient vaccination programme – will likely be allocated a green rating. Speaking to the Royal Society of Medicine on April 1, Professor Chris Whitty explained that “with any border policy is you don’t worry about any country that’s got less [cases of coronavirus per person] than you have, but you do worry about any country that’s got more than you have” indicating that a green status would be allocated to countries with a lower R rating than the UK. Which countries will be listed as green? The case rate in the United Kingdom for the past fortnight is 846 per million persons, according to John Hopkins University. The following popular destinations have a lower rate of infection than the UK in the last fortnight and would therefore likely be allocated a green status: Iceland (311 per million) Portugal (545 per million) Morocco (172 per million) Egypt (87 per million) Mexico (413 per million) Thailand (18 per million) Vietnam (1 per million) Indonesia (250 per million) Australia (6 per million) New Zealand (9 per million) Israel (633 per million) The following popular destinations have a slightly higher rate than the UK and may be allocated green status: Spain (1,543 per million) Denmark (1,129 per million) Canada (1,719 per million) United Arab Emirates (2,822 per million) United States (2,520 per million) Germany (2,603 per million) Norway (1,963 per million) The following popular destinations have a much higher rate of infection and would likely not be allocated green status: France (7,957 per million) Italy (4,422 per million) Netherlands (5,506 per million) Turkey (5,356 per million) Greece (3,510 per million) Sweden (6,824 per million) Countries with high vaccination rates are also expected to be given the green light. These include: Barbados, Maldives, Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates, Malta and Israel