Earlier last week, the Department for Transport confirmed that from June 8, Afghanistan, Costa Rica, Bahrain, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sudan became a part of the red list from Tuesday at 4 am. This came as a blow to those who were planning for holidays. Portugal was added to the amber list from the green list as the Delta variant continues to spread across the country.
As a part of this announcement, “direct flights will be permitted to England from countries on the ‘red list’ that were previously subject to flight bans, so long as they arrive at dedicated terminals at Heathrow and Birmingham airports.”
This implies that British nationals who are stuck in red list countries like India and South Africa - where flights have been banned - will be allowed to come home on direct flights.
The Sun reported that “no more countries are being added to the green list in a further gut punch for Brits aching for a post-pandemic getaway.”
Whitehall sources cited that the drastic decision came after PHE raised the alarm that a mutation of the Indian "Delta" variant was found in Portugal - with 68 cases recorded as of late last week. “There is a doubling of the positive Covid rates in Portugal since the first review, too - which far exceeds the positive rates in the UK,” the source said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopen international travel in a way that protects public health and the vaccine rollout.
“While we are making great progress in the UK with the vaccine rollout, we continue to say that the public should not travel to destinations outside the green list.”
Following this announcement, anyone coming into the UK will have to carry a negative Covid test report and pay further to quarantine. But those on the red list will have to stay in designated hotel quarantine facilities when they come back to the UK. Negative people will be allowed to go home.
A new terminal has been assigned in the UK for arrivals from red list countries.
