| The Falkland Islands are in the news again in Britain, but not because of any naval blockade. This time the disputed archipelago off the coast of Argentina is hitting the headlines because it's one of only 12 destinations that the U.K. government deems safe for summer holidays.
Starting Monday, Britons traveling to the isolated and sparsely populated islands – which attracted just 572 U.K. tourists in 2019 – won't have to quarantine when they return. Similarly, trips to spot puffins on the Faroe Islands or Barbary apes in Gilbratar will also be quarantine-free.
Further afield, New Zealand and Singapore have made Britain's "green list" while pretty much every other place on Earth falls into either "amber" or "red" categories. The traffic-light system grades countries depending on their case and vaccine rates and determines quarantine restrictions for returning travelers.
The relaxing of tight foreign-travel restrictions has eased some pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who faces calls to speed up Britain's exit from lockdown, but it has also been met with derision in many quarters. Not only are European hot spots Spain and France absent from the green list, but more than half of approved destinations, including Australia and Brunei, are severely restricting or banning arrivals of British tourists.
One of the most popular destinations, the U.S., has been left off the green list altogether, meaning a trip there will result in a 10-day quarantine at home and two Covid-19 tests upon return. Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Travel Association, says the decision "just isn't backed by the science."  Portugal, with its many beaches, is one of a handful of "green" travel destinations for Britons under the new color system. Photographer: Eduardo Leal/Bloomberg Portugal is the only really viable holiday option, but even that may have to wait. Under the current rules, Portugal bars visitors from the U.K. unless they are residents or traveling for so-called essential purposes. The government in Lisbon, however, is expected to adjust its border policy. U.K. political reaction has been mixed. Conservative Member of Parliament Henry Smith, for example, warned of the impact on business and called for a "fuller" green list. Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, on the other hand, said all overseas travel should be discouraged while the virus is still raging worldwide.
It's true that while Britons, most of whom have received at least one dose of a vaccine, gnash their teeth at the paucity of holiday destinations after months of lockdown, India is in the grip of a deadly surge. And most African countries have yet to make headway in vaccination programs as fears rise about the spread of new variants.
Carl Bildt, special envoy to the World Health Organization, warned in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday that waning pandemic deaths in a few wealthy countries are obscuring the ongoing worldwide suffering. "As long as this is a pandemic that is spreading like wildfire in parts of the world, we're not safe," Bildt says.–Deirdre Hipwell and Emily Ashton | 
Post a Comment