The UK has removed the seven remaining countries on the red list countries ahead of the Christmas holidays.
In a tweet on Thursday, Grant Shapps confirmed the good news in a boost for holidaymakers ahead of the festive season.
Next week, the seven countries will be withdrawn from the UK red list on Monday, November 1st, at 4am.The remaining seven red list countries set to be scrapped off the list are:
- Colombia
- The Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Haiti
- Panama
- Peru
- Venezuela
Arrivals from those countries are currently required to self-quarantine at a hotel for ten days at their own cost.
The UK red list itself and 10-day hotel quarantine will remain as restrictions the government can protect the UK from another dangerous variant. However, there are no longer any countries on the red list and reviews for travel restrictions will continue to occur every three weeks.
Earlier in October, the government slashed the red list countries from 47 countries to 7 in one of the biggest foreign travels reopening since the pandemic. The elimination of the amber list on October 4th was announced last month, initiating travel to many popular holiday destinations such as South Africa, Brazil and Mexico.
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said that there was no justification now for any country to be on a red list or for hotel quarantine to continue since there have been no new variants of concern since May. He also added that the best approach is to check for an individual’s vaccine status and ensure they are up to date if they want to travel without restrictions.
The USA is another country planning to open up to travel. It will lift its travel restrictions on the UK and the rest of Europe and China, India, South Africa, Iran, and Brazil on November 8th.
Fully-vaccinated passengers, and most under 18s, entering England from non-red list countries have been able to use lateral flow tests on day two after arrival, since October 24th, with a free confirmatory PCR test if they test positive. The same rules and restrictions apply to arrivals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from October 31st. However, all travellers who arrive in the country must fill in a passenger locator form ahead of travel into the UK, unless exempt.
All eligible travellers from 30+ new countries and territories will be added to the UK’s inbound vaccination policy from Monday. This means that vaccinations are now accepted at the UK border under the government’s fully-vaccinated rules from more than 135 countries.
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