UK to remove final seven countries from COVID-19 travel 'red list'

The UK will remove next week the last seven countries on its coronavirus "red list", which currently requires newly arrived travellers from these destinations to spend 10 days in hotel quarantine, transport minister Grant Shapps said.

The seven countries which will be removed from the list from November 1 are Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

Britain's chief medical officers ruled that they were no longer of concern.

Shapps said the change would be adopted by England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and that several hundred hotel rooms would be kept on standby in case authorities decided to put countries back on the red list.

UPDATE: All seven remaining countries on the red list will be REMOVED from Mon 1 Nov at 4am ❌

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps (@grantshapps) October 28, 2021

He also said 30 more countries would be added to a list of nations whose coronavirus vaccinations are recognised by Britain, taking the total to more than 135 countries.