Panama one of seven countries exiting UK covid red list
Panama and six other Latin American countries have been removed from the United Kingdom’s Covid-19 red list, ending the mandatory quarantine in hotels for travelers arriving in the country.
The highest risk category will remain to protect public health and UK authorities are prepared to re-add countries if necessary, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter on Thursday.
Panama, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Haiti, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru – will be eliminated on November 1, Shapps announced.
The move effectively ends hotel quarantine measures implemented in February, as the UK tried to curb the import of new variants of coronavirus after last winter’s outbreak.
A 10-day stay in accommodations selected by the Government was required of all persons arriving from countries included in the red list, regardless of their vaccination status. As of Sept. 29, 203,360 people had gone through hotel isolation, which currently costs 2,285 pounds ($3,153) per person.
Despite the increase in the number of cases, the UK has followed a plan to abandon border policies based on country of origin, following the European Union and other countries that prioritize vaccination status. This change coincides with a vaccination program that already covers 68% of the population, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker.
People arriving from most countries who are fully vaccinated now only need a low-cost covid-19 lateral flow test two days after arrival and no longer have to isolate themselves.
