All countries removed from the UK’s red list

The remaining seven destinations - Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, will be removed from the UK red list, starting from November 1, 4 am.

Passengers returning to England from these destinations will no longer be required to enter hotel quarantine.

The red list and quarantine hotel policy remains in place and will continue to act as a crucial line of defence against the importation of variants of concern. "We will review the red list every 3 weeks and will impose restrictions should there be a need to do so to protect public health, " the goverment said.

Delta is now the dominant variant in most countries around the world. This means the risk of known variants entering the UK has been reduced and the government can confidently remove these 7 destinations from the red list, with decisions informed by UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) assessment. The data for all countries and territories will be kept under review, including the emergence of new variants, and the government will not hesitate to take action where the epidemiological picture changes.

From Monday eligible travellers with appropriate proof of vaccination from over 30 further countries and territories, including Argentina, Tanzania and Cambodia, will also qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to the UK.

With the number of destinations on the red list decreasing over the past few months, the government has reduced the amount of quarantine hotel rooms it requires, to reflect lower demand from passengers and deliver better value for the taxpayer. A number of hotel rooms remain on standby should the government need to quickly respond to an increased risk from another country or territory and reintroduce Managed Quarantine Service for red list passengers.

Government experts will continue to closely monitor variants of concern in order to ensure the UK’s approach remains proportionate. The government will continue to maintain surveillance through testing.

Eligible fully vaccinated passengers and most under 18s arriving into England from non-red list countries have since 24 October been able to use a cheaper lateral flow test post arrival, with a free confirmatory PCR test if they receive a positive result. Such passengers arriving into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will from 31 October also be able to choose to take a lateral flow test instead of a PCR test.

All arrivals will still need to fill in a passenger locator form ahead of travel. Travellers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advicebefore, during and after travel to keep up to date with entry requirements. Passengers are encouraged to also continue to carefully check booking conditions prior to buying tickets.