There is no prospect of an amber watchlist being introduced at the latest travel review this week, Sky News understands.
Government sources have confirmed that Boris Johnson has rejected the idea in the wake of a backlash.
Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world
‘We have to have a balanced approach’
It comes after the prime minister said he wanted a “simple” and “user-friendly” system for travellers while at the same time stopping the importation of new variants of COVID-19.
“I understand how much people plan, prepare, for the summer holidays,” Mr Johnson said earlier on Monday.
“But we have also got to remember this is still a dangerous virus and we must try and stop variants coming in, must stop importing variants from abroad, so we have to have a balanced approach.
“What I want to see is something that is as simple and as user-friendly for people as possible.”
The government is expected to announce changes to the traffic light system this week.
There had been speculation that a new amber watchlist, made up of destinations in danger of moving to the red list with little warning, could be included.
However the suggestion sparked opposition from the travel industry and Conservative MPs, with reports of cabinet ministers being divided on the idea.
Given that travellers entering the UK from red list nations have to pay £1,750 to quarantine for 10 days, critics expressed fears that people would cancel trips to any amber watchlist destinations in order to avoid the prospect of being hit with a hefty isolation bill.
Spain was understood to be one of the countries being considered for the amber watchlist, which could have caused problems for up to a million British tourists currently on holiday there.
There were also concerns that Greece and Italy could have followed.
