The UK Government has the ability to release non-essential travel in the next few weeks (17 May) unleashing a desire by the UK population to travel abroad. It is currently suggested that countries will be divided in to Green, Amber and Red. The significance of the colour scheme is what travellers have to do when they return to the UK.

Of course countries visited have a whole set of rules for arrivals there.

In the UK’s scheme arrivals from Red Countries have to pay to quarantine at an airport hotel for 11 nights at a cost to the traveller of £1750. This includes passengers travelling via a third country on way from a Red Country. This rule doesn’t change.

The challenge now appears to be a desire by the Foreign and Commonwealth office, part of the UK Government, to designate some of the Green countries as too dangerous to visit, not least because of their infection rates. This would have effect of invalidating UK Travel Insurance policies.

Seems that the Government wants its cake and to eat it. Of course, we’ve seen this before so it should not be a surprise with UK Ministers saying that they have lifted the bans in the newspapers that the court so much.