The Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh are to be added to England’s red list from 4am on Friday 9 April.
It means that arrivals from those countries will be banned, although
flights from those countries may continue. Anyone transiting through those countries will also be banned from entering
the country.
However, British and Irish citizens and those with residence rights in
the UK may still enter the country. They will need to stay in a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for ten days and take a coronavirus test on or before day two and on or after day eight,
and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period with a negative
test result. They will also not be able to end their managed quarantine early
through the test to release scheme.
The Government say the move is designed “to protect the country against
new variants of coronavirus, at a critical time for the vaccine programme”.
Different rules apply to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.