British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced a set of new changes to the travel system that will be implemented over the next month.
As of Monday, October 4th, the tripartite system of travel lists will be scrapped and replaced with a list of only two categories: red and green countries. Also by that date, travelers will not be required to take the pre-departure PCR test before arriving in the UK.
Then, starting from the end of October, travelers from green countries – provided they are fully vaccinated – will be able to replace the day 2 PCR test with its cheaper counterpart the lateral flow test.
Most notably, 8 prominent destinations will be removed from the list of red countries on September 22. These include:
- Egypt
- Turkey
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Kenya
- Sri Lanka
- Maldives
The minister hopes that the new overhaul will provide a simpler and more straightforward system for the British, so that they can travel with less testing and at a lower cost.
In addition, EIGHT countries and territories will come off the red list 🔴 from Weds 22 Sept at 4am, incl. TURKEY, PAKISTAN and MALDIVES.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 17, 2021
Source: Sky News
