The British government has taken steps to simplify rules for international travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a Twitter announcement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stressed that as of October 4, fully vaccinated travelers from non-red countries will no longer need a PCR test before traveling to England.
In addition, eight countries and territories will be redlisted on September 22, including Egypt, Oman, Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives. Finally, the government will introduce a single red list starting October 4, removing the traffic light classification. This means that all countries and territories that are not on the red list will be treated the same. The changes apply in England, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own policies.
The government has come under pressure to abandon its "traffic light" classification system, which divides countries, depending on the epidemiological risk, into red, amber or green.
Airlines and travel companies have complained that Britain's complicated and costly requirements keep people away and prevent industries from recovering from the pandemic. Heathrow Airport said it became the 10th busiest airport in Europe in 2020, while in 2019 it was No. 1 in Europe, currently ahead of Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
We expect that from October 4, those who will travel from unclassified areas on the red will be able to enter England much easier, without too many tests and restrictions.