Portugal is set to be removed from the green travel list – throwing holiday plans for many into disarray.
The country - which is a popular tourist destination – could be moving to the amber list meaning holiday goers will have to self-isolate at home for 10 days upon return.
No new destinations will be added to the green list it is understood, something that will come as a blow as many hoped to see summer hotspots such as the Spanish and Greek islands plus Malta added to the green list.
No additions are expected to be made amid concerns about rising coronavirus case rates in the UK.
Additions to the red list are expected on Thursday, with Bahrain, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Thailand among the potential candidates.
People returning to the UK from red-list locations must stay in a quarantine hotel at a cost of £1,750 for solo travellers.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said the failure to add to the green list is a “terrible decision”.
He told PA: “They are basically putting at risk tens of thousands of jobs across aviation and the travel sector, and not showing any signs of helping the sector to recover.
“They seem to want to continue to create an atmosphere of fear among travellers, which is totally at odds with other countries.
“There are several countries which meet the criteria to be on the green list so this is clearly a politically charged decision rather than one based on data.”
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