LONDON – UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Friday revealed the “green list” of countries that residents of England will soon be allowed to visit without having to quarantine on their return.

Travel has been strictly limited during the worst months of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. But from May 17, people in England will be allowed to visit certain countries, although some restrictions will still apply.

Twelve countries will be on England’s so-called “green list”. Travelers to these countries will need to be tested prior to departure and upon return. But they won’t need to self-quarantine when they return.

The 12 countries are:

Portugal

Israel

Gibraltar

Australia

New Zealand

Singapore

Brunei

Iceland

Faroe Islands

the falkland islands

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Saint Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island

Apart from those 12, other nations have been divided into an “orange” list and a “red” list – the latter demanding the most stringent measures. Turkey was a notable name added to the Red List on Friday.

Popular destinations for the British, such as France and Spain, have not been placed on the green list at this point. Shapps told a press conference on Friday that countries on the green list can have their status removed at any time.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will announce their own travel restrictions for their residents separately.

UK travelers also face travel restrictions from other countries, such as Australia and the United States.

U.S. and European airlines and a host of travel companies, grappling with an international travel crisis, this week urged their governments to relax travel rules that currently bar most Britons from entering, citing an increase in vaccination rates in their respective countries.

“We continue to encourage the United States to implement a reciprocal policy that allows travelers who are fully vaccinated to travel to the United States from countries with equally successful vaccination programs,” Airlines for America said. , a trade group that represents most of the major US airlines, including the US. , Delta and United.

Airlines executives have questioned a restoration of most travel between the United States and Europe this summer with restrictions still in place, but have been more optimistic about the possibility of a reopening of travel between the United Kingdom and the United States.

US airlines have announced in recent weeks a new service to some destinations that have opened or plan to do so, such as Greece, Iceland and Croatia.

– CNBC Leslie Josephs contributed reporting from New York.