* If you have been in a Red List country, you can only enter the UK if you are a UK or Irish national, or UK resident
* People returning from red list countries will need to pay to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days. Nobody has to self-isolate after visiting countries on the green list
Canada and Switzerland are among the latest destinations to be added to the UK’s green list of countries, with the fewest travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, two countries — Thailand and Montenegro — have been added to the red list, which are subject to the most restrictions.
Seven destinations were added to the green list on August 30 are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the Azores. Travellers arriving from these places no longer need to quarantine, a UK government statement said.
Travellers from Malta, Barbados and Germany too are in the Green List.
Thailand and Montenegro joined the red list. People returning from red list countries will need to pay to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days, the statement said.
Nobody has to self-isolate after visiting countries on the green list.
Returning from a green-list destination, you must:
- Take a Covid-19 test before departure and have proof of a negative result
- Book a test for day two after your return (children aged four and under do not need to take these)
- Complete a passenger locator form. You only need to self-isolate on return from these countries if your day two test is positive, you develop symptoms or NHS Test & Trace says you’ve travelled with someone who tested positive.
- In the three days before returning to the UK, you will need to take a PCR or lateral flow/antigen test. Lateral flow/antigen tests can be bought in the UK to take with you, or you can buy these or PCR tests when you are away. You must make sure they are of the right quality.
Thailand and Montenegro joined the red list. People returning from red list countries will need to pay to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days, the statement said
The government advises passengers returning from Spain to use a PCR test.
The vast majority of countries are on the amber list.
Adults fully vaccinated in the UK, the US and most European countries don’t have to self-isolate upon arrival in the UK. A Covid test is needed three days before returning from an amber country, and a PCR test two days after arriving. Adults who are not fully vaccinated need to take an additional PCR test on or after day eight.
Under-18s do not have to self-isolate. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, children aged 10 and under don’t have to test before travel, but do need to take one two days after arrival. Those aged four and under don’t need any tests.
In Scotland, children over 12 have to take tests before returning home, and on day two.
Red-list countries are those the UK government says present the highest Covid risk, and should not be visited “except in the most extreme of circumstances,” like Pakistan, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa. If you have been in one in the last 10 days, you can only enter the UK if you are a UK or Irish national, or UK resident.
Returning from a red-list country – regardless of your vaccination status – you must:
- Take a Covid-19 test before departure and have proof of a negative result
- Complete a passenger locator form. Self-isolate for 10 days in a government-approved quarantine hotel, booked and paid for in advance.
Entry rules for destinations can change at short notice. Some countries only allow fully vaccinated visitors, or insist on a quarantine period. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provides detailed country-by-country advice.
************************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com