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28th Oct 2021

All seven remaining countries on the red list will be removed from Monday

Ava Evans

The Department for Transport have announced the remaining seven countries on the government’s travel red list will be removed

The remaining seven countries on the government’s travel red list will be removed from Monday November 1 at 4am.

Passengers arriving from Colombia, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela and Ecuador will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 full days.

Arrivals will no longer be required to spend an eye-watering £2,285 for a mandated 11 nights in a government-approved hotel.

Thirty new countries will be added to the UK’s vaccination list, meaning vaccinated passengers from countries like Peru and Uganda will no longer need to supply a PCR test upon arrival.

Since hotel quarantine was introduced at the height of the pandemic, nearly 200,000 people returning from red list countries have been forced into paid isolation.

The move marks a temporary end to the hotel quarantine system, although Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed countries can still be added to the red list at any time.

Sources told The Telegraph that Ministers are expected to scrap the system altogether after Australia announced it was prioritising vaccination over isolation.

The announcement comes the day after the Chancellor halved air duty on short-haul flights.

The UK’s red list has been the subject of criticism from travel industry leaders. Critics say the selection had little rhyme or reason, with many countries over the past year demonstrating lower covid transmission than Britain.

Today’s announcement is the latest in a slew of loosened travel arrangements that have come into effect this month.

At the start of October, the government cut the amber travel list. Fully vaccinated passengers arriving in England from more than 100 countries only needed a lateral flow test on arrival.

Travellers arriving in Scotland and Wales have needed the more expensive PCR test but this is set to change on Sunday (October 31).

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