SAA
South Africa's tourism sector has welcomed the decision to remove 11 African countries from the UK travel red list.
The travel ban against South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe was lifted from 4 am on Wednesday.
The countries were placed on the red list in November following the emergence of the Covid19 Omicron variant.
Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid reportedly told Parliament that since there was community transmission of Omicron in the UK, and that the variant had spread widely across the world that the travel red list was "now less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad."
"Whilst we will maintain our temporary testing measures for international travel we will be removing all 11 countries from the travel red list effective from 4 am tomorrow morning," he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the UK government said in a statement that passengers returning from the countries taken off the travel red list "will not have to stay in a managed quarantine hotel on arrival in England from this date."
"All vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK must continue to take a pre-departure test (PCR or lateral flow) 2 days before they depart for the UK and must take a PCR test on or before day 2 and self-isolate until they receive a negative result. Unvaccinated passengers must also take a pre-departure test, PCR test on day 2 and 8, and self-isolate for 10 days. Test to release remains an option to shorten their self-isolation period."
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation welcomed the move.
"It's a call that was made by the President [Cyril Ramaphosa] and we are pleased that the UK has responded," said spokesperson, Lunga Ngqengelele
"The banning of South Africa from travelling to the UK was based on unscientific data and was against even what the United Nations and the World Health Organisation have said in terms of how to manage the pandemic," he said.
The decision was also welcomed by the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company.
Managing Director, Wahida Parker, said they have lobbied "long and hard" for this with local and international partners. She said they hoped UK travellers will make use of this opportunity to spend a December holiday in the Mother City.
The decision was also welcomed by the South African Tourism Business Council.
