The majority of England will remain in the red category with only 11 areas still in 'amber' status.

Canada and Tenerife in the Canary Islands are also among the countries to be reclassified within the highest risk category.

Pictured: A Scrutiny Panel recommended the on-island lab be used for day 5 tests. 

The announcement that the travel rules would soon be updated came on the same day as the  Safer Travel Guidelines Review Panel - a group of politicians tasked with reviewing current procedures - published a new report, which had been slightly delayed.

In it, they recommended stricter isolation periods with all inbound travellers required to isolate until their day 5 test comes back negative. They also said arrivals from amber regions should be required to isolate for 14 days.

With returning islanders now representing a larger proportion of arriving travellers, the Panel suggested that the on-island testing laboratory should prioritise day 5 tests to allow islanders “to return into the community in a timely and safe manner." So far, the lab has been used for day 0 tests as it builds capacity, while other tests are sent to UK labs.

The Panel also reviewed the Track and Trace programme and found there were “areas of delay outside of the contract tracing team’s control”, including access to plane manifests.

They therefore recommended that suitable data protection protocols should be agreed, with the approval of the Information Commissioner,  to speed up the process before the end of the year.

Pictured: It was suggested that people who don't respond to monitoring messages be contacted within 36 hours rather than 72.

The Panel voiced concerns about the fact that individuals who don’t respond to monitoring messages might not be contacted for up to 72 hours, suggesting instead this period be reduced to 36 hours. 

With the current system relying on people’s morals to comply with isolation requirements, the Panel recommended the enforcement team carry out more checks on those in self-isolation.

“It is clear that inward travel has significantly impacted islanders positively through sustaining vital air links and enabling those who wish to travel to return home relatively unhindered, but also negatively by increasing the number of positive cases within the Island,” Deputy Rob Ward said.

“As the numbers of COVID-19 positive cases have risen steeply in neighbouring countries, as well as now on Island, the work of the Panel has become even more significant. The findings and recommendations of this report are aimed at being timely and targeted to address the issues the Panel has identified in this constantly evolving situation.”