UK to remove all countries from its COVID travel ban red list

UK travel consulting
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Travelers who have not been fully vaccinated with an authorized vaccine will still have to undergo a PCR test on the 2nd and 8th day and complete 10 days of self-isolation upon entry into the UK.

From Monday, the UK will remove the remaining seven countries from its COVID-19 travel restrictions red list, which will be reviewed every three weeks and revised in case of emerging COVID types of threats, the British government has announced.

From 4 a.m. on Monday, the remaining seven destinations on the UK’s COVID-19 travel restrictions red list – Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela – will be removed, it said in an update on Thursday.

The Red List itself is not exhausted and will be reviewed every three weeks, with restrictions imposed in case of emerging COVID types of threats.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said Delta is now the dominant COVID variant in most countries around the world, meaning the risk of known variants entering the UK is reduced.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is another step in the right direction for international travel with more good news today for travelers, businesses and the travel sector.”

“Whether it is to reunite family members or make it easier for businesses to do business, the success of the vaccine rollout at home and abroad has allowed us to reach this milestone. However, we should not get complacent and be ready to act and protect our hard-won gains when the need arises.”

Earlier this month, travel rules between India and the UK were relaxed for fully vaccinated passengers, with covidshield-vaccinated Indians not required to undergo self-isolation at a declared address upon entry into the UK .

Travelers arriving from red-listed countries continued to be subjected to a mandatory 10-day quarantine at a government-approved facility. The latest update means travelers vaccinated with UK-recognized vaccines will face similar international travel rules.

The UK Health Secretary said: “The Red List and Quarantine are critical to protecting our borders – we are keeping a small number of quarantine rooms on standby and adding countries to the Red List to act quickly if the risk rises again.” I won’t hesitate.” Sajid Javid.

The DfT said government scientists would continue to closely monitor forms of concern to keep Britain’s outlook “proportionate”, with continued monitoring through regular testing.

Meanwhile, under the rules effective from October 24, fully vaccinated travelers returning to England from countries not on the travel ban red list, including India, will undergo a COVID negative lateral flow test (LFT) instead of the more expensive polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Can be used. testing.

All passengers must fill out a mandatory passenger locator form prior to travel, which involves providing a test booking reference number supplied by a test provider.

Travelers who have not been fully vaccinated with an authorized vaccine will still have to undergo a PCR test on the 2nd and 8th day and complete 10 days of self-isolation upon entry into the UK.

It comes as the UK recorded 39,842 coronavirus cases on Thursday, marking a trend in the past few days to surpass 50,000 daily cases over the past week.

Read also | The US will lift the ban for fully vaccinated travelers from November 8; new guidelines issued

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