UK announces mandatory hotel quarantine for red list countries

People traveling to the UK from high-risk countries will have to quarantine in government-approved hotels from February 15, it has been announced.

The rule will apply to areas associated with new coronavirus variants including South America, Portugal, and some countries in Southern Africa, and details of the approved hotels and procedures will be confirmed soon.

The UK is currently in lockdown and all travel corridors have been suspended; the following 33 countries have been placed on its red list:

• Angola
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• Colombia
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ecuador
• Eswatini
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Tanzania
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

The UAE, Burundi, and Rwanda are the latest countries to be added to the list that mostly includes countries where new COVID variants have been identified.

British nationals, Irish nationals, long-term visa holders, and UK residents can enter the UK from these countries but must quarantine for 10 days unless they meet the criteria listed on the Government exemption list.

They will also need to have proof of a negative COVID-19 test before traveling;  failure to have this could result in a fixed penalty fine of £500.

Similarly, if an operator flies a passenger without proof of a negative PCR test who does not qualify for an exemption, then the operator will be liable for a fixed penalty of £2,000 per passenger.

All inbound crew and passengers must complete the online passenger locator form and have their electronic receipt available on arrival.

Crew will also need to show their crew ID to Border Force.

For support with your flight operations to the UK, contact UAS