Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan are among the eight countries set to be removed from the UK's red list for travellers from abroad, the government announced on Friday.
Restrictions will also be lifted from September 22 on the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya.
UK travel: green, amber and red list countries
The announcement was made by UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in a series of tweets. He confirmed that from October 4 the UK's Covid-19 travel rules will be overhauled and its traffic light system replaced with a single red list, mandating hotel quarantine, alongside rules on vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers from other countries.
The government said the current amber list covering travel from much of the world would be scrapped – reflecting high levels of vaccination against Covid-19 by other nations.
This reform comes after disquiet among the public and travel industry over complicated rules that enforced PCR tests, making summer holidays prohibitively expensive for many people.
“Today's changes mean a simpler, more straightforward system,” Mr Shapps said.
“One with less testing and lower costs, allowing more people to travel, see loved ones or conduct business around the world while providing a boost for the travel industry.”
Only the red list will remain – requiring travellers to quarantine in government-approved hotels if they are arriving from Covid hotspots.
If a country is on the red list, then the 10-day hotel quarantine at a cost of £2,285 ($3,140) per person still applies.
The UK has also allowed travellers from 17 new countries to enter under eased rules for the fully vaccinated.
However, these countries do not include the UAE.
Travellers from the UAE – and other countries not included in the UK's fully vaccinated scheme list – must still quarantine at home or in the place they are staying for 10 days and take the pre-booked Covid tests before day two and on or after day eight.
If either of these tests are positive, then they will need to take a confirmatory PCR test.
If they test negative, they may be able to end quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.
The move will greatly reduce the costs currently associated with international travel and was welcomed by the travel industry which has long complained the Covid rules are too burdensome and expensive.
“Moving from the established three traffic light system to a red list, and a two-tier entry regime for vaccinated or non-vaccinated passengers, brings greater clarity to entry requirements and recognises the vaccination status of an additional 17 countries,” said Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives UK.
But he said the new system will only be effective and non-discriminatory “when fully vaccinated status is recognised for all travellers to the UK".
“Testing requirements for many remains costly and excessive, and a significant number of inbound markets for the UK will still remain unfairly treated.”
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
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Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
