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Portugal and Mauritius have been removed from England’s travel “red list” in the first major rule change for international arrivals in months.
It means that people will be able to travel from the two countries, as well as Madeira and the Azores, to England again, and non-British residents and citizens who were previously allowed to do so will no longer have to be quarantined in a hotel, but They can do it. instead, spend time at home.
They can be tested on days two and eight after their trip and will be able to end self-isolation early through the test-to-release scheme.
However, four other countries – Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar – will be added to the red list and will be subject to a travel ban.
All changes will take effect from 4 a.m. on Friday, March 19.
The national blocking rules are still in effect in England, which means that traveling outside the country is only allowed for a few essential reasons. Political leaders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decide what coronavirus conditions they impose on travelers arriving in their respective nations.
Portugal was the only European country added to the red list when it went into effect on January 15, in an attempt to prevent passengers carrying the Covid variants originally found in Brazil and South Africa in the United Kingdom.
Scientists advising the government are cautious about allowing the variants to spread, fearing they will be more infectious, but have said the vaccines remain effective against them.
Portugal is now being removed from the red list because evidence shows that the risk of a variant being imported “has been reduced,” the government said. He added that the country has “put in place measures to mitigate the risk of its ties with countries where variants have become a concern” and that ministers are prepared to take more “decisive measures if necessary to contain the virus.”
The move will provide a small boost to the aviation and tourism industries, which have been hit hard during the pandemic, and will raise hopes that international travel may be allowed again this year after ministers cut speculation to the ground. discourage people from booking trips abroad. summer.
Surge tests have been implemented in more than a dozen postcodes in England over the past few months in an effort to detect cases of the two variants of concern spreading through community transmission.
A nationwide search was set up a few weeks ago to locate someone who had tested positive for the Brazilian variant but whose identity was unknown because they had not filled out a form registering their test correctly, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
The week-long operation included a public call for anyone who had not received their test result to come forward and England’s Public Health officials to join the postal service, until the mystery person from Croydon showed up.
This sparked criticism of the government for implementing the hotel quarantine system nearly three weeks after announcing the plan to introduce it.
Scientists at Sage, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, had warned even earlier that “reactive and geo-targeted” travel bans “are not reliable in stopping the import of new variants.”
They said at a meeting on January 21 that this was due to the “lag between the emergence and identification of variants of concern” as well as the “potential for indirect travel” to the UK via third countries.
Ministers have avoided setting a date when international travel can resume again while they investigate the feasibility of vaccine passports, which would give those who have had a coronavirus puncture some form of inoculation testing.
Greece’s tourism minister revealed last month that the country was in “technical” talks with the UK to allow Britons with a vaccine passport to travel to its tourist spots from May.
Haris Theoharis said he hoped to “fit in” with Boris Johnson’s roadmap, adding: “Planning is a prerequisite for the travel industry.”
The use of domestic “vaccination certificates” in domestic settings such as pubs and theaters is also being considered as part of various reviews being conducted by the Cabinet Office for life after closure.
