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The British government announced on Tuesday that it will be from tomorrow morning to All countries on the red list of your travel destination,considering Has lost its effectiveness in slowing the expansion of coronavirus omicron variants.
Health Minister Sajid Javid stated in Parliament that the obligation to conduct coronavirus tests before and after traveling to the UK still exists.
In recent weeks, London has added 11 African countries to its red list, including South Africa, Nigeria and MozambiqueThis measure prohibits entry of travelers who do not have British nationality or place of residence, and forces them to be quarantined in hotels for ten days.
This Community communication The Minister said that the new variants in the UK and other parts of the world made the red list “not very effective in slowing down omicron invasions from abroad”.
However, travelers will continue to have to undergo a Covid-19 test within 48 hours before travelling to England and another PCR test two days after arrival.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, English) estimates that about 200,000 people in the UK were infected with the omicron variant this Monday, despite the official number of confirmed cases yesterday at 54,661.
Javid argued before the House of Commons, “Scientists have never seen a variant of Covid-19 that can spread so quickly.”
The minister argued that even if omicron produces milder symptoms than other lineages, its uncontrolled expansion could overwhelm the British public health system.
To avoid this situation, he defended the reintroduction of masks in most internal public spaces and the use of Covid “passports” in discos and mass events in front of parliamentarians.
Parliament is expected to approve these measures this afternoon with the support of the conservative majority and the Labour opposition, although dozens of “conservative” representatives have indicated that they will rebel against their government and vote against the plan.