England is set to find out which holiday destinations will be assigned green status this summer with transport secretary Grant Shapps will host a press conference later today.

Holidaymakers will finally discover which destinations they can visit this summer without quarantining, with Portugal, Iceland and Malta among those expected to be on the travel green list.

Gibraltar and Israel could also make the cut when the list is published on Friday following weeks of speculation.

All holidaymakers will be required to take a PCR test.

Grant Shapps is set to host a Downing Street press briefing at 5pm this evening (May 7).

At the press conference the transport secretary is expected to unveil the list of green countries which Brits can travel to.

It is unclear if he will be joined by any scientific experts such as Professor Chris Whitty.

The Government will publish the list on Friday, but there is speculation it could include Portugal, Malta, Gibraltar and Israel.

Summer favourites such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece are expected to be on the amber list initially.

They could switch to green when the situation is reviewed at a “checkpoint” on June 28.

May 17 is the earliest that overseas leisure travel will be allowed for people in England under Boris Johnson’s road map for easing restrictions.

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday there will be “some opening up” on that date, which will likely be confirmed by Mr Shapps on Friday.

What happens if I go to a green, amber or red country?

If you visit a green destination you will not need to self-isolate, and will only need one post-arrival test.

People entering England from an amber country must quarantine at home for at least five days, and take a minimum of two post-arrival tests.

Those returning from a red list country must stay in a quarantine hotel for 11 nights at a cost of £1,750.

Assessments of destinations will be based on a range of factors, including the proportion of a country’s population that has been vaccinated, rates of infection, emerging new variants, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.

Grant Shapps’ press conference will be available to watch live on BBC News.

You can watch online through BBC iPlayer here, while Sky News has a live YouTube stream here.