he UK is set to remove all seven remaining countries on the travel “red list” as the Covid-19 threat from abroad eases, according to reports.
Ministers are expected to meet later on Thursday to consider reducing the list to zero, removing the need to quarantine in a hotel when arriving from overseas.
Arrivals from those countries are currently required to confine themselves to to ten days of hotel quarantine at a cost of £2,285 per person.
The red list will reportedly be maintained as a “lever” for ministers in the future should they feel the need the need to protect the UK from another dangerous variant.
The Times reported that thousands of hotel rooms would remain on standby.
It came into effect at 11.59pm on Wednesday, October 21, spoiling the half-term holiday plans of thousands of families and leaving UK travellers in Morocco “in limbo” as they tried to find a flight home.
The move has led to speculation about whether other countries will follow suit.
Another country opening up to travel is the US, which will lift its severe restrictions on the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil, on November 8.
President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order imposing new vaccine requirements for most foreign national air travelers and ending the effective travel ban, which has been in place since early 2020.
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