Travel from the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, and Bangladesh is to be banned from next week, the government says, they’re being added to England’s “red list” amid concerns about the spread of new Covid-19 variants.
From 9 April, international visitors who’ve traveled from or by those nations in the previous 10 days will be refused entry.
An exception is made for British or Irish passport holders or individuals with UK residence rights.
But they must first pay to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.
During their stay, passengers will have to take two coronavirus tests – but a negative test result doesn’t mean they’ll shorten their time in quarantine.
Neither will they be able to end it early through the Test to Release scheme, where travelers from non-red list nations can leave home isolation after a negative test on day 5.
The Department for Transport (DfT) stated information about exemptions for nurses arriving from the Philippines “who’re critical to supporting the NHS during Covid and the recovery” would be set out before Friday.
Travel bans are intended to reduce the risk from new coronavirus variants like the South Africa strain, the Department for Transport (DfT) stated. They are based on advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre.
Data has shown that most cases of the South Africa coronavirus variant found in the UK so far have been linked to international travel, with very few having come from Europe, said the DfT.
Nearly 40 nations are currently on the UK government’s red list of nations from which travel is banned:
- Middle East: Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Africa: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Asia: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines
- South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
No direct flight bans from the 4 nations will be put in place, however, passengers are advised to check their travel plans before departing for England.
