What was claimed
You shouldn’t be visiting countries on the amber list for holidays.
Our verdict
The government’s advice says people shouldn’t make non-essential journeys to amber list countries, but there are some exceptions for certain islands.
Govt advice differs for travel to some amber list islands
4 June 2021
“You shouldn’t be visiting those countries on the amber list for holidays.”
This article is correct on 4 June 2021.
Similar things have been said previously by Matt Hancock and the Prime Minister.
The government’s general guidance says “you should not travel to amber list countries or territories.”
However, it explicitly makes exceptions for some islands of some amber list countries.
For example, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) advice for Spain says: “The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic Islands but excluding the Canary Islands, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.”
On its page for Greece it says the same thing about the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Zakynthos, Corfu and Crete.
And on the list for the United States, it says: “the FCDO is not advising against all but essential travel to the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.”
People planning to go on holiday abroad should check the FCDO’s latest guidance before they travel, as well as the guidance and laws of the country they intend to travel to.
People coming to England from amber list countries must quarantine on arrival and take mandatory Covid tests.
That’s true whether they came from one of these islands or from another part of these countries.
But the government’s advice on whether people should travel to amber list countries for holidays in the first place is more nuanced than Mr Jenrick made out.
We’ve written more on the rules about amber list destinations.