LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to unveil a new traffic light system for international travel, as Britain is set out plans to restart international travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic after May 17.

Johnson, who is expected to speak on Monday evening, will announce a red, amber and green system for residents in England who want to go on holiday abroad, reports DPA news agency.

 Travel destinations will be ranked green, amber, or red according to virus risk, Downing Street said in a statement late Saturday, with the government to provide more details on Monday. Each country will be given a rating that determines whether or not travellers will need to go into quarantine on their return, a statement from Johnson's office said.

"Green" countries mean residents will have to take coronavirus tests before and after departure but will not have to quarantine upon returning to England. "Amber" or "red" countries mean citizens would have to take tests and go into quarantine upon their return.

The system will be based on how many people have been vaccinated in each country, the rate of infection, emerging variants of the coronavirus and the country's access to "reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing".

International travel is currently banned except for a handful of permitted reasons. This has created massive pent-up demand for summer holidays abroad.

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