Holiday rules get tougher for unvaccinated as green and amber lists scrapped
UK’s international rules overhauled to be made easier for travellers
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Travel rules are getting tougher for anyone who has not had both of their vaccine injections.
In a clampdown on jab refuseniks, the Department for Transport announced that unvaccinated people will now have to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival in England and take two PCR tests, whether they are arriving from a red list country or not.
It was part of an overhaul of the UK’s international rules to make it easier for travellers.
People who are double-vaccinated will no longer have to carry out pre-departure Covid tests before returning to England from non-red list countries. PCR tests for travel will be phased out by the end of October, which will allow travellers to replace the second day test with a cheaper lateral flow test.
The government is opting for a “simplified” system for international travel from 4 October. Instead of the current traffic light system, from this date there will be one red list and simplified measures for the rest of the world.
Eight countries will also be moved from the red list from 4am on Wednesday 22 September, including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives.
As with the amber list at the moment, unvaccinated passengers will be able to take a day five “test to release” PCR test to get out of isolation slightly earlier.
See below for how our live coverage unfolded:
Traffic light system ‘simplified’ into one red list and ‘rest of of the world’
Grant Shapps said the government will introduce a “new simplified system” for international travel from Monday 4 October.
He said the new approach will comprise of “a single red list and simplified measures for the rest of the world”.
This will help the UK in “striking the right balance to manage the public health risk as No.1 priority”, he added.
Traffic light system to be scrapped from 4 October, PCR tests to continue until end of month
Lucy Thackray has the details on the major changes to the UK’s rules for international travel announced by the government:
Traffic light lists to end 4 Oct, PCR testing to be reduced end of Oct
Travel UK update: Traffic light system scrapped, PCR testing removed for fully jabbed
New system means ‘less testing and lower costs’, says Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps said the new system was “proportionate” and “reflects the new landscape” of the numbers of those who are fully vaccinated.
He said: “Today’s changes mean a simpler, more straightforward system. One with less testing and lower costs, allowing more people to travel, see loved ones or conduct business around the world while providing a boost for the travel industry.”
PA
Which countries have been moved off the red list?
The government has confirmed the eight countries that will move from the red list to the new “safe” list, effective from 4am on 22 September.
They include Turkey, Pakistan, the Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya.
No countries have been added to the red list.
What are the new rules for fully-vaccinated travellers?
From 4am on Monday 4 October, a set of simpler testing rules will apply to fully-vaccinated travellers coming from non-red list countries.
From that date, travellers who have had both jabs of a Covid vaccine will no longer have to take a pre-departure test before arriving into the UK.
From the end of October, eligible fully vaccinated passengers and those with an approved vaccine from a select group of non-red countries will be able to replace their day two test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England.
The government wants to introduce this by the end of October, aiming to have it in place for when people return from half-term breaks.
Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test, at no additional cost to the traveller, which would be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants.
Which countries will be on the new “safe” list?
It has been announced that the former “traffic light” lists of destinations will be scrapped from 4 October in favour of just two lists.
The green list will be replaced by a list of countries that are deemed “safe” for travel by the UK government, the amber list will no longer exist, and the red list will remain of destinations deemed “unsafe for travel”.
The changes were announced by the UK government in the latest travel update on 17 September, and will take effect from Monday 4 October.
The new look “safe list” - described by the Department for Transport as the ROW or “rest of world” outside of the red list - combines the countries formerly on the green and amber lists, as well as eight new additions that will join it on 22 September.
So which countries will appear on the “safe” or “ROW” (rest of world) list?
Which countries are still on the red list?
This afternoon, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that from 4 October, the UK’s three traffic light lists will be scrapped, leaving just the red list and one other list of “ROW” or “rest of the world” destinations.
From 4am on 22 September, eight countries will also be removed from the current red list, moving on to the “ROW” list of safe-for-travel destinations - which will replace the current green and amber lists.
This followed a week of anonymous leaks suggesting that the red list would be “slashed” or “halved”, which has not been the case.
So which countries will be on the red list from 22 September?
Travel rules get tougher for unvaccinated
While testing requirements will be eased for fully vaccinated travellers arriving into the UK from 4 October, travel rules are getting tougher for anyone who hasn’t had both of their vaccine injections.
In a major update to the UK’s travel rules, announced today, the Department for Transport announced that unvaccinated people will now have to self-isolate and take two PCR tests on arrival in the UK - whether they are arriving from a red list country or not.
Countries not on the red list will, from 4 October, move on to a new “ROW” or “rest of the world” list, which will replace the current green and amber lists.
“Testing for unvaccinated passengers from non-red countries will include pre-departure tests, day 2 and day 8 PCR tests. Test to release remains an option to reduce self-isolation period,” reads the government’s statement.
In this case, “unvaccinated” is understood to also cover those who have only had one vaccine injection, as well as those whose foreign-administered vaccines are not yet recognised in the UK.
“Test to release” tests can be ordered at extra cost and taken on day five of isolation - if they come back negative, unvaccinated travellers will be released from self-isolation slightly earlier.
Here’s everything we know so far about the update to the system:
Traffic light lists to end 4 Oct, PCR testing to be reduced end of Oct
Travel UK update: Traffic light system scrapped, PCR testing removed for fully jabbed
'Judge risk of individuals, not countries’
The World Travel and Tourism Council welcomed the shake-up but called for a system based on the risk of individuals, not countries.
Julia Simpson, president and CEO, said: “The travel and tourism sector has been rocked by the pandemic losing 62m jobs globally. We are pleased to see the back of an illogical traffic light system that caused confusion and distress for travellers. This move to ease restrictions and open up more key destinations, will help restore consumer confidence and get the UK moving again.
“We’re also happy to see that the government has listened to our calls, with double vaccinated travellers no longer needing to take pre-departure tests, and that antigen tests will replace costly PCRs before the end of the busy half-term holiday season.
“While this is certainly a step in the right direction, for the UK to be real leaders, the government should adopt a system based on the risk of individuals, not countries. Placing whole countries on red lists is illogical if you can keep the UK safe by checking an individual’s status and allowing fully jabbed people to travel almost anywhere in the world safely.”
Relaxing rules brings two modest positives, says Simon Calder
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, writes: “And finally, just before 5pm on Friday, Grant Shapps tweeted out some changes to the tangle of travel restrictions that have blighted the summer for many of us.
“My scorecard records two modest positives. But much is still to be done before the UK can be said to have a coherent and effective set of rules governing international travel.
“The first positive: reducing the despised “red list” – countries from which it is necessary to go into hotel quarantine on arrival in the UK, at a cost of over £2,000. Pakistan and Bangladesh have been moved off the red list, which will enable many families to reconnect. So have six holiday favourites: Egypt, Turkey, Kenya, the Maldives, Oman and Sri Lanka. While the data for Egypt was not especially supportive, I am already booking my winter break there.
“The second: reducing the ludicrous and disproportionate testing regime for fully vaccinated travellers to the UK. The test-before-travel will be ditched. As it happens, though, that was the easy part of the multiple testing procedure: plenty of foreign pharmacies and airport testing centres offered fast, professional and cheap lateral flow tests to UK-bound travellers.
“The other component, on arrival testing, is still with us. I don’t count Grant Shapps’ headline of replacing PCR tests as a significant positive. Much has been made about replacing the “day two” PCR (which can also be taken on the day of return or the next day) with a lateral flow test. But for the traveller the booking, paying and testing procedure remains exactly the same. The only difference will be a reduction in cost of perhaps £20.
“Only when the UK follows other major European countries in abolishing testing for fully vaccinated travellers, and reduces the red list to a small core of really risky places, will we be able properly to expand our horizons.
“Friday’s adjustments are not going to change the world; but they will open it up a bit for us.”
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