Malta ‘could’ be added to UK green travel list tomorrow – British media

Multiple media outlets in the United Kingdom are reporting that Malta could be one of two destinations added to the UK’s green travel list as early as tomorrow.

First reported by The Times and later picked up by the Independent and the Mirror, amongst others, UK government sources were quoted as saying that there is a “real possibility” that Malta and the Spanish Balearic Islands would be added to the UK’s green travel list.

That would mean that travellers returning to the UK from Malta would avoid the need to spend 10 days in self-isolation.

A word of caution however: it’s not the first time that British media has reported that Malta could be added to the green list. Twice, British media tipped Malta to be part of the said list in the past few weeks – and twice Malta ultimately ended up not being on the list; to the disappointment of many in Malta’s touristic industry in particular.

Most recently, Malta was left off the green list despite having over 70% of its adult population vaccinated with at least one dose – leaving many to conclude that the decision was political rather than one based on science.

The current reports however come at a time when the UK government is seemingly considering moving away from its initial position of favouring people to take so-called ‘staycations’ within the UK.

Quarantine exemptions for vaccinated travellers, for instance, have also been touted in recent days.

The news comes as the number of Covid-19 cases being found in the UK has increased, with over 10,000 cases being registered daily – the majority of which being of the Delta variant.

The increase in cases has led to a delay in the country’s reopening time, with some measures maintained beyond 21 June – when they were set to be relaxed.