In a surprising development, the British government has decided to remove India from the red list on travel ban, meaning that Indians travelling to the UK will no longer be required to spend 11 days in a costly hotel quarantine. The changes would come into effect from Sunday, 8 August.
British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted, “UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the Red List to the Amber List. All changes come into effect Sun 8th August at 4am. See the full list of changes made today here.”
UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the Red List ???? to the Amber List ????
All changes come into effect Sun 8th August at 4am.
See the full list of changes made today here ???? [2/3]https://t.co/iYAJhsdm3y
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 4, 2021
Shapps added, “While it’s right we continue our cautious approach, it’s great news to open more destinations for people wanting to connect with families, friends Family and businesses across the globe Earth globe europe-africa, all thanks to our successful domestic vaccination programme.”
The British government, however, said that the cost of mandatory hotel quarantine for those arriving from red list countries would increase to £2,285. This cost was earlier £1,750 for an adult travelling alone. The cost of additional adult travelling in a group would increase to £1,430 from £650.
The UK government has also moved seven countries from the amber to the green, meaning that travellers from these countries would not be required to isolate themselves at home for 10 days. They would simply be required to take pre-departure tests and another two days after their arrival. These countries are Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway.
The UK has adopted the traffic light system to restrict the flow of visitors from foreign countries. While anyone arriving from a red-list country is required to remain in a hotel quarantine for 11 days, those coming from amber list countries must isolate themselves inside their homes for 10 days. Only visitors from green list countries are not subjected to either hotel quarantine or home isolation.
The British government has, however, changed the rule for people arriving from amber list countries if they are fully vaccinated in the UK. The Tory government recently also allowed fully vaccinated people from the US and the EU to enter the UK without having to quarantine themselves.
Several reports recently highlighted the hardship faced by Indians, particularly students, who have to be in the UK before the start of their new academic year in September.
