The British government announced on Friday that COVID-19 restrictions for international travel will be loosened next month. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that the traffic light system, which is currently in force, is set to be replaced from Oct. 4 by a single, reduced “red list” of destinations from where travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel. People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test. The rules were revised following intense pressure from the travel industry after another summer severely hit by the COVID-19 restrictions. Shapps said the measures were intended to strike the “right balance,” simplifying the system while managing the public health risk “as No. 1 priority.” “Today’s changes mean …