Travellers from Israel will still have to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to the England after the country was left off the government’s listed of ‘’approved’’ destinations that have been exempted from quarantine.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that arrivals from more than 50 countries including France, Spain, Germany and Italy will no longer need to quarantine from 10 July.
But Israel - along with other countries including the United States and Sweden - was left off this list as its coronavirus cases continue to rise.
The new exemptions mean people arriving from selected countries will be able to enter England without needing to self-isolate, unless they have been in or travelled through non-exempt countries in the preceding 14 days.
The DfT said a risk assessment had been conducted considering factors such as the prevalence of the virus, the numbers of new cases and potential trajectory of the disease in each country.
The list of exemptions would be kept "under constant review", so that if the health risks increased, self-isolation measures could be re-introduced, they added.
Announcing the move Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Today marks the next step in carefully reopening our great nation.
‘’Whether you are a holidaymaker ready to travel abroad or a business eager to open your doors again, this is good news for British people and great news for British businesses.
“The entire nation has worked tirelessly to get to this stage, therefore safety must remain our watch word and we will not hesitate to move quickly to protect ourselves if infection rates rise in countries we are reconnecting with.”
Scotland and Wales are yet to decide whether to ease travel restrictions and described the changes as "shambolic".
Quarantine regulations also remain in place in Northern Ireland for people arriving from outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
England's quarantine restrictions only came into force in early June, in a bid to stop coronavirus entering the country at a time when UK infections were falling.
