The Health Secretary told MPs the the spread of Omicron in the UK and the world means the travel red list is “now less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad”. He said: “So I can announce today that whilst we’ll maintain our temporary testing measures for international travel, we will be removing all 11 countries from the travel red list effective from 4am tomorrow.”
Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe are currently on the list. The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the Omicron variant.
What really good idea - inviting the infected for Xmas …
Yes, its here now anyway and there is nothing we can do about it, so just let everybody in and out and ensure it travels much more effectively all over the world.
This is so confusing . Tonight I heard Scotland is advised to mix no more than 3 families together . People are working from home again . Mask wearing essential on transport and shops yet let anyone who is anyone fly around the world and open borders to one and all .
No Susan…its very confusing, and I have decided not to pay attention anymore, aside from keeping myself clean and safe, and avoiding people as much as possible.
Depends which end of the pipe you are looking into, you can listen to all the political/science rhetoric or look in the other direction as to what is happening on the ground, no one in the “Local” shop had a mask on tonight, there is a disconnection going on somewhere
Some hotel quarantine residents say they have left the government-approved facilities early and returned home, despite not having permission.
Guests in hotels have been told that they will be released from their 10-day quarantines early in due course, but they should stay put for now. People who break red-list quarantine rules can face a penalty of up to £10,000.
One guest near Gatwick airport told the BBC hotel staff had tried to stop her leaving, but she’d walked out. She saw several cars parked outside picking up other people. Another said security guards told her and her husband to return to their rooms, but they were able to board a minibus they’d arranged to take them home.
Roughly 5,000 people have come through the hotel quarantine system since the red list was re-started in late November, according to Jonathan Mogford, Senior Responsible Officer for Borders and Managed Quarantine Service at the UK Health Security Agency.
Speaking to the Transport Select Committee on Wednesday, he said the latest figures suggested about 5% of people in the hotels had tested positive for Covid. Of those, between 1% and 3% had Omicron.
Arrangements to release people early were being “sorted as quickly as possible”, he said.
It was later was confirmed that those currently in managed quarantine would be allowed to leave early and “follow the rules as if they had arrived from a non-red list country”. But anyone who has tested positive will have to remain in isolation in the hotels.
Since late November, all UK arrivals from red list countries have been required to pay for and self-isolate in a pre-booked, government-approved hotel. Some travellers have paid thousands of pounds, with complaints of chaotic organisation and inedible food during their stays.The health secretary has said he is considering calls for guests to be reimbursed.
Another shambles from the COVID Book of Tory Shambles …
.I’ll desist now )