The government confirmed that all seven remaining countries were removed from the red list of governments for international travel.
This means that the requirement to have hotel quarantine in place for anyone returning from Panama or Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, Peru, Ecuador, Peru, Ecuador, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic will be lifted at 4am Monday, November 1.
While the government may still use the red list and the 10-day hotel quarantine as restrictions, there is no longer any country on the red list. Every three weeks, reviews will be conducted.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, stated: "We will maintain the red list category as a precautionary measure for public health. We are ready to add countries or territories back if necessary.
After reports from the Telegraph that the red-list and hotel quarantine were being scrapped, he confirmed the changes via Twitter.
The Department for Transport responded with a communication explaining that Delta is now the predominant variant in most countries. This means that the UK is less likely to be infected by known variants. The government can now confidently remove seven countries from the red list. These decisions were based on the assessment of the UK Health Security Agency. All data from all territories and countries will be reviewed, as well as any new variants. The government will take immediate action if the epidemiological picture is changed.
In one of the largest reopenings for foreign travel since the outbreak of the pandemic, 47 countries were removed earlier this month. Last month, the amber list was removed.
Since its introduction in May as part of the UK's traffic light system, the red list has been updated approximately every three weeks. Only seven countries are still on the red list after the October 7th change. In February, the first hotel quarantine was introduced.
According to the BBC, more than 200,000 people are currently in quarantine at hotels in London since February.
According to the DfT, the government has decreased the number of quarantine hotel room it needs due to the decrease in the number of countries that are on the red list. It did however say that a few hotel rooms are still on standby.
Since October 24, eligible fully-vaccinated passengers and most children under 18 years old, who arrive in England from non-red-list countries, have been allowed to use lateral flow testing on the second day after arriving. If they are positive, they will be given a confirmatory PCR test. From October 31, the same rules will apply to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All arriving passengers will need to complete a passenger locator form before they can travel into the UK.
Eligible travellers from over 30 countries and territories will also be added to the UK's inbound vaccination program starting Monday. This means that vaccinations from more than 135 countries can now be accepted at the UK border according to fully-vaccinated regulations.
Shapps stated in the DfT communication: This is another step forward for international travel. There are more positive news for businesses, passengers and the travel industry today. As we recover from the pandemic, we are making great progress and today is yet another example of how far our efforts have gone.
This milestone has been achieved by the successful vaccine rollout at home and abroad. We must not become complacent, and we must be ready to take action and defend the hard-won gains that were made.
Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, said: I am happy we can reduce the travel list even more, giving a huge boost for businesses, families, and friends who want to travel.
Red list and quarantine are vital for protecting our borders. We have a few quarantine rooms available and will quickly add countries to the redlist if necessary.
