Sajid Javid has announced that all 11 countries on the coronavirus travel red
list will be removed from 4am on Wednesday.

The health secretary said the spread of Omicron in the UK and the world means the list is ‘now less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad’.

He told MPs: ‘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.’

It means people arriving in the UK from South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia and eight other African countries will no longer be required to enter a quarantine hotel for 11 days, at a cost of £2,285.

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Those due to arrive before the changes however will still need to self isolate at their own expense until Christmas Day.

The red list was brought back by ministers last month once news of the new variant emerged.

It did not however prevent Omicron from getting into the country and there have now been more than 4,000 confirmed cases.

Ministers have been under pressure to relax travel rules after a significant downturn in bookings due to the measures.

But Mr Javid has kept in place a stricter testing regime which is widely thought to be putting many potential travellers off.

Those returning to the UK need to take an expensive PCR test both before and after their departure, adding hundreds of pounds to the cost of a trip.

These rules will not be reviewed again until January 5, Mr Javid confirmed in the commons.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, claimed the decision to scrap the red list ‘makes complete sense but doesn’t go nearly far enough’.

He said: ‘If the red list isn’t necessary given that Omicron is established here at home, then neither are the costly emergency testing and isolation measures imposed on even fully vaccinated travellers, which again put us completely at odds with the rest of Europe.

‘It is testing that is the deterrent to travel, not the relatively limited red list.’

Mr Alderslade warned that the key Christmas and New Year booking period will be ‘undermined’ unless testing rules are eased.

Major airlines including Ryanair and British Airways have already had to cut back their winter flights programme because of the ongoing uncertainties caused by the pandemic.

‘This is make or break for UK aviation and if Government is unable to row back from these restrictions over the New Year, it will need to step in with further economic support for a sector that again has been singled out,’ he added.

David Frost, chief executive of trade body South Africa Tourism Services, said: ‘This is welcome news but red-listing southern Africa for just three weeks caused incalculable damage to jobs and livelihoods in the region, with little discernible benefit to health outcomes in the UK.

‘The UK Government must now consign this blunt instrument to history and recognise the devastating impact red lists have to confidence amongst the travelling public.’

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