'Once again, Latin America has been completely ignored'

Once again, Latin America has been completely ignored and – for the most part – still languishes on the red list. Only those few countries that were never on the red list have managed to hold onto their amber status, as it is currently.

Comparing countries that have managed to come off the red list with destinations in Latin America makes the disparity in the grading system very apparent.

The best performing country in Latin America from a Covid point of view is Chile, so I’ll focus on that one. It’s not the only one doing really well, but is surely the most likely candidate for a red list regrade.

For a start, let’s look at Germany. Chile has a lower case rate than Germany, has a higher percentage of the population fully vaccinated, and carries out more testing than Germany. That sounds like a country on the ball.

Let’s now compare it with Sri Lanka, which is among eight being removed from the red list. Case rates are around six times higher in Sri Lanka than in Chile. The current death rate is six-and-a-half times higher there too, and the vaccination rate is lower.

I can only think that someone in the cabinet wants to go to Sri Lanka on holiday and not have to isolate in a terrible hotel on return – there is no other plausible explanation.