Covid-19: UK adds Oman, Qatar to travel ‘red list’

The UK has added the GCC countries of Oman and Qatar to its travel red list, Britain’s Department of Transport said on Monday.

Besides the two GCC countries, Ethiopia and Somalia were also added to the list. From 4am on Friday, March 19, 2021, visitors who have departed from or transited through these countries in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.

Only British and Irish citizens, or those with UK residence rights (including long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and must stay in a government-approved facility for 10 days. During their stay, they will be required to take a coronavirus test on day 2 and day 8.

A ban on commercial and private planes travelling from Oman, Ethiopia and Qatar will also come into force on Friday, March 19, to reduce the risk of importing variants of concern. This excludes cargo and freight without passengers.

These travel bans have been implemented is to protect the country against new variants of the Covid-19 virus.

Effective 1pm on January 29, and excluding third-country nationals who have residence rights, the UK also banned all non-British or Irish passengers who departed from or transited through the UAE, Burundi and Rwanda in the preceding 10 days.

Read: Covid-19: UK indefinitely bans all passenger flights from UAE starting January 29

Meanwhile, Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) and Mauritius will be removed from England’s red list, while the flight and maritime ban from Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) will also be shelved based on evidence that the risk of importing a variant of concern from these destinations has reduced.

Passengers arriving into England from these destinations will no longer be required to quarantine in a government approved facility. However, they must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival to the UK at home and take a Covid-19 test on day 2 and day 8 and will be able to able to end self-isolation early through Test to Release.

However, passengers from these destinations who arrived before 4am on Friday, March 19, must stay in their hotel for the remainder of their 10-day quarantine period.

MORE COUNTRIES ADDED TO THE ‘RED LIST’.

From 4am Friday 19 March, travel bans will be in place for visitors from:

Ethiopia
Oman
Qatar
Somalia

All those who are permitted to enter England from these countries, will have to quarantine for 10 days in a managed quarantine hotel.

— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) March 15, 2021

UK’s red list

Britain’s updated red list consists of:

• Angola
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• Colombia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ecuador
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia (will be added to the list 4am, Friday, March 19)
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius (will be removed from the list 4am, Friday, March 19)
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Oman (will be added to the list 4am, Friday, March 19)
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) (will be removed from the list 4am, Friday, March 19)
• Qatar (will be added to the list 4am Friday, 19 March)
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Somalia (will be added to the list 4am, Friday, March 19)
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Tanzania
• United Arab Emirates
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe