Brit favourite holiday hotspots including Turkey & Egypt to be taken OFF red list – in time for October half-term

HOLIDAY hotspots Turkey, Egypt and the Maldives are expected to be taken off the red list today - meaning holidays can restart next month.

It is great news for families wanting a holiday abroad during the school October half term.

Expected later today, the Department for Transport is to announce a major shake-up to the current travel restrictions introduced due to Covid.

One of the biggest changes will be to the traffic light system, with it expected to no longer include a green and amber list.

Instead, it will just have a red list, which still requires a hotel quarantine - although it is likely to be a much smaller list.

Predictions from experts have said that Turkey is the most likely to come off, along with Egypt and the Maldives.

Turkey was added to the red list back in May, but has been closed to Brits since October 2020 after the country's Covid data was inaccurately reported.

Data expert Tim White said it was "madness" that the Maldives has not been removed from the red list while PC Agency's Paul Charles said Egypt should come off.

He predicted as many as 24 countries could be taken off, including Argentina, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Peru and South Africa.

However, Tim warned warned some countries could even be added to the list - with Jamaica and Grenada at risk of being put on it.

Thankfully, many of the European hotspots are expected to stay open for holidaymakers.

Mr White told Sky News: "In the last three weeks infection rates have been coming down in almost all the major holiday hotspots like France, Spain, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal."

Other changes to be announced by the government today are the scrapping of PCR tests for vaccinated Brits returning to the UK.

Instead, double jabbed travellers will just need a lateral flow on day two, with no pre-arrival tests required.

Vaccinated Brits will face much stricter rules, with a 10-day quarantine, and a pre-arrival, day two and day eight test.

Here are the major travel changes expected to be announced later today.