Grant Schapps announces huge changes to UK red travel list

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today, Thursday, October 7, announced huge changes in travel restrictions in and out of the UK. These changes will come into force from next Monday, October 11 he said.

According to the government, the current red list of 54 countries will be trimmed right down to just seven. This move by Grant Schapps gives wider flexibility to travellers wishing to travel further afield. It also gives a much-needed boost to the flailing British airline sector, and to families who have been kept apart for around 18 months during the pandemic.

Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa will be among the countries to come off the red list. As a result, travellers will not need to use an expensive quarantine hotel for 10 days on their return to Britain. Making up the seven countries to remain on the red-list are Colombia, Peru, Haiti, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Venezuela.

The recent scrapping of the amber list

With the UK government recently eliminating the amber travel list, arrivals from 37 countries will now have an easier time entering the country. Their vaccination certificates will now be recognised upon arrival, thus avoiding the extra expense of post-arrival PCR tests.

Arrivals must still complete the passenger locator forms

In the case of vaccinated arrivals from Turkey, South Africa, India, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Pakistan, as long as they can show that they have not been in a red-list country during the last 10 days, they will be treated the same as returning British residents. Arrivals must still complete the passenger locator form though.

Another changed due to be implemented in the near future is that passengers, as a minimum requirement to verify a negative result, will be able to present a photograph of their lateral flow test. This would apply to double-jabbed travellers arriving from red-list destinations

According to the Department for Transport, this change would come into force before the end of October, as reported by bbc.com.