UK categorizes countries based on various factors in new program to resume int’l travel
Moscow, Apr 9 (FN Bureau) The UK Global Taskforce, an advisory body of the government, has set out a new approach to safely restart international travel that includes a new traffic light system to categorize countries and the introduction of travel certification, the UK government said on Friday. According to the press release, there are four main factors to categorize countries based on risk alongside the restrictions required for travel, namely the percentage of the vaccinated population, the rate of infection, the prelevance of variants of concern, and the country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing.
The so-called traffic light system prescribes three main categories of arrivals, and “restrictions for inbound passengers, such as 10-day managed quarantine, home quarantine, and stringent testing will remain in place – but will apply to people differently depending on whether the destination visited is categorised as ‘green’, ‘amber’ or ‘red’.” Green arrivals will need to take a pre-departure test as well as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on or before day two of their arrival back into the UK. They will not be quarantined upon arrival in the UK in case of negative tests. Amber arrivals will need to quarantine for 10 days and take a pre-departure test, and two PCR tests on days two and eight upon arrival. Red travelers will be subject to restrictions currently in place for red list countries which include a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel and the same testing as for the amber group.
The UK government expects international travel to resume from May 17 at the earliest when passengers will no longer be required to prove they have a valid reason to leave the country. The UK will also start developing international standards around a digital travel certification system in order to facilitate outbound travel. The current restrictions will be formally reviewed on June 29 and depending on the epidemiological situation some of them could be rolled back.