Luton Airport welcomes red-list cut, but calls on government to restore confidence in travel

The government must do more to restore confidence in international travel, according to London Luton Airport (LLA).

Travel advice has been relaxed this week, making it easier to visit nearly 90 countries. 47 countries were removed from the red list on Monday at 4 a.m., meaning that everyone arriving from these countries no longer needs to be quarantined in a hotel.

An LLA spokesperson said: “These changes have already gained momentum in mid-October and Christmas, but we have a long way to go before consumer confidence is fully restored and passenger numbers reach pre-pandemic levels.

“There is no doubt that people want to travel to meet their families, to connect with work, or just for a moment in the sun. The government should acknowledge this and help trigger another lawsuit by restoring confidence in travel.”

On Monday, the list was canceled: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Costa Rica and Cuba. Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Georgia, Guyana, Indonesia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mayotte, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

There are now only seven countries on the red list whose government says they should not be visited “except in extreme circumstances”.

They are: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

If you have visited one of these countries in the last 10 days, you will not be able to travel to the UK.

The only exception is if you are a citizen of the United Kingdom or Ireland or a resident of the United Kingdom, in which case you must:

> Take a Covid-19 test before you leave for the UK

> Complete the passenger location form

> Isolation on arrival in the UK for 10 days in a hotel quarantine, prepaid

These rules apply regardless of whether or not you have received a full vaccination.

Fully vaccinated travelers traveling to the UK from any country not on the Red List will not need to be tested for Covid before departure.

From the end of October, people who have been fully vaccinated to England will no longer have to undergo a PCR test two days after their arrival.

Alternatively, they can do a cheaper and easier lateral flow test and send an image of the lateral flow test to check the result.

However, the Department for Transport said the NHS lateral flow devices could not be used for travel. – Both pre-departure and arrival tests must be purchased from private service providers.