UK removes quarantine requirement for arrivals from Malta

Following the latest review of the government's travel traffic light system, the move means from 04:00 BST (0300 GMT) on June 30, Britons heading to these popular holiday hotspots will not have to quarantine on their return.

Meanwhile, Eritrea, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda have been added to the government's red list, which means only British and Irish nationals are allowed into Britain from these countries and ten-day quarantine at a government-approved hotel is mandatory.

"It's right that we continue with this cautious approach, to protect public health and the vaccine rollout as our top priority, while ensuring that our route out of the international travel restrictions is sustainable," Shapps said in a statement.

"Travel continues to be different this year, and passengers face longer wait times, although government is making every effort to speed up queues safely. Those returning from red list countries will continue to be separated from other passengers in dedicated terminals to be processed as safely and efficiently as possible, before being transferred to a managed quarantine hotel," Shapps added.

Britain has reported another 16,703 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the national tally to 4,684,572, according to official figures released Thursday.

The country also recorded another 21 coronavirus-related death. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 128,048. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a four-week delay to the final step of England's roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions until July 19, amid a surge in cases of the Delta variant first identified in India.