Well, it’s 4 am again. We all know what that means – the latest UK Government Changes to Red List entries goes live.
And it’s an important one – as all remaining countries are removed from the Red List.
At the time of writing, seven countries remained on the UK Red List. They were:
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Haiti
- Panama
- Peru
- Venezuela
Arrivals from these countries will no longer have to stay at a managed quarantine hotel on arrival. Rather they will have to follow the current entry rules to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
This will now be managed by vaccination status. You’ll be in one of two categories:
- If you are vaccinated through a recognised vaccination authority with an appropriate vaccine and have an appropriate certificate or app, you will need to complete the following entry requirements:
- Book and pay for a COVID-19 test – to be taken before the end of day 2 in England
- Passenger locator form
- Day 2 Test (Lateral Flow Test or PCR)
- No Isolation or Quarantine is required.
- If you are vaccinated via an authority not on the government’s list, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated- or cannot meet the above requirements, you will need to complete the following:
- Pre-Departure Test up to 3 days before departure
- book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 PCR tests – to be taken after arrival in England
- Passenger locator form
- Isolate on arrival for up to 10 days (with Test to Release available at Day 5)
- Day 2 Test (PCR)
- Day 8 test (PCR)
You can check which vaccines and which authorities are accepted at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/countries-with-approved-covid-19-vaccination-programmes-and-proof-of-vaccination. Also note what requirement you will need to meet (either NHS COVID Pass, EU Digital COVID Certificate, the US CDC Card or a vaccination certificate from your local authority.
The full guidance is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are subject to approval by their governments.
Red List is on standby
Whilst passengers might be relieved that the Red List system is in-effect – gone at this point, it is important to note that the UK Government is still holding onto hotel room stock. In addition, the system itself is being retained in case “variants of concern” or new countries need to be added on.
The lists are being reviewed every three weeks – so whilst for most travellers, it won’t matter, it is something to keep in the back of the mind when planning your trips.
For those still in managed quarantine, you’ll have to wait out the time you have left – but over the next 11 days, these hotel rooms should empty, waiting to be used in case the Red List comes back.
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So in other words all this was for nothing since many of those countries have very low vaccination rates and high levels of covid. It’s not science it’s just opinion.