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The Welsh government said the changes increased opportunities for new infections and variants, but adopted them because it was impractical to have its own border policy.
For UK expats Matt and Hannah Pirnie, who have lived in South Africa for a decade, removing the country from the Red List will make it easier to see his family again.
“It has been a long pandemic for us. Not to see the family, not to be allowed to come home, but more importantly, the grandparents cannot come here and see their grandchildren. It has gone on for two long years. “said Matt.
“First of all, when all the planes stopped for departure – it was pretty anxiety-provoking – and then being on the red list for so long was pretty hard to see why,” Hannah adds.
“Getting three kids into a prison-like mentality was just a no-go, plus the cost. It was really quite difficult.”
Announcing the latest changes, Shapps said the government “is making it easier for families and relatives to reunite.”
He said that with fewer restrictions “and more people traveling, we can all continue to move forward safely on the road to recovery together.”
In addition to the shorter red list, the government said passengers may soon use a photograph of a lateral flow test as a minimum requirement to verify a negative result.
The change – affecting tests carried out by fully vaccinated people from countries not on the Red List two days after arriving in England – would come into effect “at the end of October,” the Department for Transport said.
A UK government source said the government is still aiming to replace the so-called ‘arrival PCR test’ on the second day with a cheaper lateral flow test by the mid-term break, for many schools. in England after October 22.
But they said the government was still working on a date for the introduction of the new testing rule.
Under current rules, travelers must use more expensive PCR tests for their post-arrival screening on the second day. People who are not fully vaccinated should provide another PCR test on the eighth day.
Airlines and the travel industry hailed a “much improved system” but called on ministers to implement test changes as soon as possible and consider removing testing for passengers from low-risk countries .
A Heathrow spokesperson said the changes announced “would kick off a global Britain”.
“The missing piece to this, however, is clarity on when the cheaper lateral flow tests will be accepted, which is now essential to save the mid-term getaway for many.”
Full: 47 places removed from the red list
The following destinations will be removed from the red list from 04:00 BST on Monday:
Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Congo (Democratic Republic), Costa Rica, Cuba. Eritrea, Swaziland, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Georgia, Guyana, Indonesia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mayotte, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Source: Ministry of Transport
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