Foreign Office to change advice for countries moving off red list

The Department for Transport announced on Thursday (7 October) that was reducing the red list from 54 to just seven countries from next week, as part of a further easing of international travel restrictions.

This move is now being matched by the FCDO which will lift its advice against all non-essential travel on Covid-19 grounds for all countries moving off the red list next week.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “These updates make travel abroad easier - boosting trade, tourism and reuniting friends and families. I am delighted that the safe reopening of travel allows people to exercise personal responsibility and visit more destinations across the globe.”

Covid travel advice is being lifted on Friday (8 October) to Bahamas, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Martinique, Palau, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Western Sahara, which are not currently on the red list.

The FCDO will then lift this Covid advice on Monday (11 October) for 42 of the 47 countries being removed from the red list.

These countries are: Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guyana, Indonesia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The FCDO changed its policy on Wednesday (6 October) when it said it would no longer advise against travel to non-red list countries for Covid reasons, except "in exceptional circumstances", such as if the local healthcare system is overwhelmed.

At the same time, it removed the advice against non-essential travel on Covid-19 grounds for 32 non-red destinations around the world, including Fiji, Gambia and Malaysia.