Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar have been added to England’s red
list of countries “to protect the country against new variants of coronavirus,
at a critical time for the vaccine programme”.
The change comes into effect at 4am on 19 March which means that most
people who have departed from or transited through these countries in the
previous ten days will be refused entry into England. Only British and Irish
citizens, or those with residence rights (including long-term visa holders),
will be allowed to enter but must go into hotel quarantine for ten days.
At the same time, Portugal
(including Madeira and the Azores) and Mauritius will be removed from the list.
The flight ban from Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) is also being
removed, following evidence that shows the risk of importing a variant of
concern from these destinations has reduced.
Arrivals from these destinations will no longer be required to
quarantine in a government approved facility but must self-isolate at home and
take Covid tests on days two and eight after arrival. However, they can end
self-isolation early through the Test to Release scheme.