Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza put back on England's amber travel list

The Balearic Islands will be added to the amber travel list a little over a fortnight after it went green, while quarantining on return from Croatia and Bulgaria will end.

The change for those returning to England from Ibiza, Menorca, Majorca and Formentera will take place at 4am of Monday, potentially sparking a rush for holidaymakers to return to avoid the need to quarantine.

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But the change will coincide with the end of the need to quarantine for the fully-vaccinated UK residents and the under 18s when returning from amber list nations.

In a boost for holidaymakers, Croatia and Bulgaria will go green, meaning arrivals in England will not have to isolate for 10 days on return regardless of their vaccine status.

Hong Kong and Taiwan will also be added to the green list, while the British Virgin Islands will go amber.

Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone will be added to the red list, meaning 10 days of isolation in a quarantine hotel are mandatory.

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the changes will take place, despite the Balearics having been added to the green list on June 30.

Mr Shapps told reporters: “Unfortunately when we put them on the green watchlist from then we’ve seen the rates double, and also the rates of positivity of these tests double, meaning that we’re going to have to move quickly.”

Even the green list does not mean travel as normal, with a pre-departure test being required as well as another two days after returning back in England even from green nations.

Ministers decided the changes on 14 July after receiving analysis from the Joint Biosecurity Centre.

The changes to the Balearics will mainly affect younger adults because they are far less likely to have received both jabs and therefore will not benefit from the incoming exemption.