For those of you who can travel, be aware that the Red List changes announced on Monday are now live.
As a reminder, the following countries have been added to the Red List. These include.
- Ethiopia
- Oman
- Somalia
- Qatar
This travel ban went into effect from 4 am Friday 19 March 2021
Arrivals from these countries from those dates (via other countries) – be they British Nationals, Irish and third-country nationals with residence rights (including long-term visa holders) s will be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility for 10 days. During their stay, they will be required to take a coronavirus test on day 2 and day 8.
There is also a ban on commercial and private planes travelling from Oman, Ethiopia and Qatar which has come into force – meaning if you are connecting via these destinations, or attempting to travel from these destinations, you will need to find a new route back to the UK.
If it isn’t clear, this will impact anyone travelling on
- Oman Airways
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Qatar Airways
who is travelling from these countries or transiting via them.
It’s not all bad news…
Meanwhile, Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) and Mauritius will be removed from England’s red list.
The flight and maritime ban from Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) will be removed too.
Arrivals from Portugal into England will no longer be required to quarantine in a government-approved facility at the time of publication. However, you must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival to the UK at home and take a COVID-19 test on day 2 and day 8 and will be able to able to end self-isolation early through Test to Release.
The full Red List
The full Red List is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-measures-to-protect-the-uk-from-variant-strains-of-covid-19. At the time of publication, it contains
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Oman
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
When will the Red List be suspended?
No date has been indicated by the Government. Changes are announced “on the fly” and “in line with medical advice”. For now, it is vital that you check before you travel to ensure you complete your journey.
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