The UK government has confirmed that it made the latest updates to the UK’s Traffic Light Travel List system after taking advice from the joint biosecurity centre – the government has previously come under fire for making what a lot of people see as “decisions based on politics instead of science”.
Many have blamed the previous snap and often confusing decisions as having led to he breakdown of trust in the traffic light system.
The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed that the two new additions to the Red List were based on advice from the join biosecurity centre who noted a higher case rate and lower level of genomic surveillance in both Thailand and Montenegro than in other countries.
Meanwhile, Labour has ramped up its calls for the data for each country to be published and made available to the public so that there will be greater transparency about how decisions on each country are being made.
Shadow Transport Secretary, Jim McMahon, said: “It is absolutely vital that full country-by-country datasets are provided along with these decisions, to allow proper scrutiny, as well as giving assurances to passengers and the travel industry.
“It’s also vital to ensure that there is no mixing of people in transit, or through passengers reaching the UK from red list countries and that PCR test providers are rigorously checked to ensure they are providing a proper, affordable service.”
The Office for Statistics Regulation has also recently slated the government for “not making the data and sources clear”.
The latest traffic light update will be the last one before the end of the summer season, which should give holidaymakers a little more security when jetting off for a sunshine break.
The next review is not expected to take place until September 16.
