The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have been moved from the UK’s red list to its amber list.
The new rules, which eliminate the need for all travellers from these countries to complete a mandatory 10-day hotel quarantine on arrival to the UK, were announced yesterday (August 4) by the UK’s Secretary of State of Transport, Grant Shapps.
“UAE, Qatar, India and Bahrain will be moved from the Red List to the Amber List. All changes come into effect Sun 8th August at 4am,” Shapps tweeted.
“While it’s right we continue our cautious approach, it’s great news to open more destinations for people wanting to connect with families, friends and businesses across the globe, all thanks to our successful domestic vaccination programme.”
Amber list status means travellers from these countries, as well as those who are not fully vaccinated, need to self-isolate for 10 days on arrival to the UK.
However, fully vaccinated travellers from the US and European Union can avoid isolation on arrival into the UK if they have one of four approved vaccines: Moderna, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson Janssen.
UK travellers are also exempt from self-isolation on return from amber list countries such as the UAE – a rule that came into effect from July 19 for all those vaccinated with an NHS administered vaccine in the UK.
