LONDON – The United Kingdom has removed Pakistan from its red list, easing travel restrictions for the South Asian country, it emerged on Friday.
Britain Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said that the government has removed also seven other countries that include Oman, Kenya, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Turkey and Bangladesh.
He said that all the eight countries and territories will come off the red list from September 22 (Wednesday).
In addition, EIGHT countries and territories will come off the red list 🔴 from Weds 22 Sept at 4am, incl. TURKEY, PAKISTAN and MALDIVES.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps (@grantshapps) September 17, 2021
He further announced that the UK are making testing easier for travel.
“From Mon 4 Oct, if you’re fully vax 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 UK will also introduce a new simplified system for international travel from Oct 4, replacing the current approach with a single red list Red circle and simplified measures for the rest of the world – striking the right balance to manage the public health risk as No.1 priority.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi shared deep concerns with British counterpart Dominic Raab, who visited Pakistan in September, over the UK’s decision to retain Pakistan on its travel red list.
The foreign minister has urged the UK to review its decision.
Back in August, the British government had decided to keep Pakistan on the travel red list as it updated its travel advisory for countries from where travellers are not allowed to enter the United Kingdom.
A leaked letter by Britain’s health minister revealed that the Pakistan has been retained on red list because the true number of COVID-19 cases is likely to be much higher than reported across the South Asian country.
In the letter, Britain’s Health Minister Lord James Nicholas Bethell and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation from the Department of Health and Social Care explained in detail that Pakistan’s testing and sequencing rates are relatively low (1.8 per 1,000 over the last seven days) and lower testing and sequencing mean it is not possible to know the full genomic makeup of their current wave. Therefore, they said that the true number of cases is likely to be much higher than reported.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/pakistan-shares-deep-concerns-with-uk-over-red-listing/
