RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will relax travel to the United Kingdom for more countries, removing the need for quarantine, and will announce the measure later this week, The Sunday Telegraph reported, adding that the “red list” will be reduced from 54 countries to nine.
The newspaper said that fully vaccinated travelers from Brazil and other countries, including South Africa, Mexico, and Indonesia, will no longer have to be quarantined in government-designated hotels for ten days when they arrive in Britain from the end of October.
The changes are expected to be announced on Thursday. They will likely result in a surge in hotel bookings, helping airlines and travel companies severely compromised during the pandemic.
The hotel quarantine policy for high-risk countries costs 2,285 pounds (or US$3,095) per adult.
Britain was already planning to relax its travel rules from October 4, dropping the list for medium-risk destinations and no longer requiring fully vaccinated passengers to be tested for Covid-19 before arriving in the country from places, not on the red list.
The government said that from the end of October, those arriving in England will no longer be required to take the PCR test two days after arrival and will be able to opt for another, cheaper test.