The British government on Friday removed Pakistan from its “Red List” for international travel after five months, British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
Eight countries and territories, including Pakistan, Turkey and the Maldives, will come off the travel red list at 4am on Sept 22, he tweeted.
In addition, testing was being made easier for travellers to the UK, Shapps said.
“From Oct 4, if you’re fully [vaccinated] you won’t need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red country and from later in Oct, will be able to replace the day 2 PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow,” he added.
The secretary also announced that the UK was scrapping its “traffic light” system for international travel, according to which low-risk countries were rated green for quarantine-free travel, medium risk countries were rated amber, and red countries required arrivals to spend 10 days in isolation in a hotel.
From Oct 4, there would be a “simplified system” for international travel, he said. Under the new proposal, there would be a single red list while the rules would be simplified for all other countries, the secretary added.
While a lot has yet to be made clear by UK authorities, an update on the British government’s website said “passengers who aren’t recognised as being fully vaccinated with authorised vaccines and certificates under England’s international travel rules, will still have to take a pre-departure test, a day 2 and day 8 PCR test and self-isolate for 10 days upon their return from a non-red list country under the new two-tiered travel programme.”
Passengers considered unvaccinated may be able to end quarantine early if they pay for a private Covid-19 test through the Test to Release scheme, according to the update.
The news regarding the lifting of the travel restrictions was also shared by British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner.
“Pleased to confirm Pakistan is off the red list. I know how difficult the last 5 months were for so many who rely on close links between the United Kingdom & Pakistan,” he tweeted.
He said he was grateful to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan, federal minister Asad Umar and the Pakistan health ministry “for their close collaboration”.
Turner said the UK “will continue to work closely with Pakistan to ensure data sharing and safeguard public health in both countries”.
“No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed the UK government’s decision to remove Pakistan from the travel red list.
Taking to Twitter, the minister wrote: “Welcome decision of UK government to remove #Pakistan from the travel red list”.
He recalled that he had last month raised deep concerns with British counterpart Dominic Raab on keeping Pakistan on red list “despite irrefutable scientific data on Pakistan’s handling of #Covid19 pandemic”.
“This change is appreciated,” Qureshi concluded.
