Many people are desperate to find out what countries will be placed on the Government's "green" list for travellers.

A new traffic light system will be used to determine testing and quarantine requirements for UK arrivals once overseas leisure travel is permitted.

What is the traffic light system?

Countries will be put on either the "green", "amber" or "red" list based on coronavirus risks.

Initial lists will be published early next month.

Assessments will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country's population which has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants and the country's access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

What countries will be on the green list?

Using that criteria, here are 10 destinations that could be added to the "green" list:

- Gibraltar;

- Israel;

- Malta;

- Morocco;

- Portugal;

- Singapore;

- South Korea;

- The Caribbean;

- United Arab Emirates;

- USA.

The "red list" is already in operation.

It currently has 39 destinations on it, including all of South America and southern Africa.

Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines were added on Friday.

PCR tests for travellers

People can "start to think" about booking overseas summer holidays, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

The Cabinet minister said it is the first time in "many months" he was not advising against booking foreign trips.

On Friday Mr Shapps announced a "framework" for the resumption of overseas leisure travel, which included requiring all arrivals to take pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus tests.

Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost about £120, he said.

This led to a furious backlash from the travel industry, which wants travellers returning from low-risk countries to be allowed to take lateral flow tests, which are cheaper and quicker.

He said he was looking to "drive down the costs" of tests required for international travel to resume.

"Costs are definitely a concern, it's one of the factors this year, and we have to accept we're still going through a global pandemic," he said.

"And so we do have to be cautious and I'm afraid that does involve having to have some tests and the like.

"But, I am undertaking today to drive down the costs of those tests and looking at some innovative things we could do."

A Government source said identifying coronavirus variants can only be done with PCR tests.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the requirement for those tests was "a blow to all travellers" and risked "making flying only for the wealthy".

What is the £5,000 fine?

According to the legal document: "The Regulations also impose restrictions on leaving the United Kingdom without a reasonable excuse (regulation 8)."

The law says no one may "leave England to travel to a destination outside the United Kingdom or travel to, or be present at, an embarkation point for the purpose of travelling from there to a destination outside the United Kingdom" without a reasonable excuse.

It suggests anyone who breaks such rules could face a £5,000 fine.

There is also a £200 fixed penalty notice for failing to fill in a travel declaration form - giving personal details and reason for travel - for those planning to leave the UK.

The travel ban does not apply to those going to the common travel area of the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland unless that is not the final destination.

What countries are on the red list?

  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Bangladesh
  • Bolivia
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Burundi
  • Cape Verde
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Ecuador
  • Eswatini
  • Ethiopia
  • French Guiana
  • Guyana
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • Rwanda
  • Seychelles
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • Suriname
  • Tanzania
  • United Arab Emirates (UAE)
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe