UK Red List: Sajid Javid announces removal of all 11 countries

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The health minister told MPs that the spread of Omicron in the UK and the world meant the travel red list was “now less effective in slowing Omicron’s incursion from abroad”.

“So I can announce today that while we will maintain our temporary testing procedures for international travel, we will remove all 11 countries from the travel red list starting at 4 a.m. tomorrow,” he said.

Angola, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are currently on the list.

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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also confirmed that all 11 African countries on the UK’s travel red list would be removed, and announced that all testing measures for arrivals would remain in place.

Arrivals must also self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test.

“As always, we keep all our travel procedures under review and may impose new restrictions if there is a need to do so to protect public health,” he added.

South African Health Minister Jo Bhala said the country’s travel ban “contradicts the rules and standards” advised by the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has described the ban on entry to England by non-UK residents from Red List countries as “travel apartheid”.

Tim Alderslade, head of British Airways Group, said emptying the red list was “completely logical”, but also urged the government to cancel pre-departure and second-day tests for all arrivals.

“If the red list is not necessary, since Omicron was created here at home, there are also no costly emergency testing procedures and isolation measures imposed even on fully vaccinated travelers, which again puts us at odds with the rest of Europe.”

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