UK drops advice against non-urgent travel to 32 destinations

[webfact]

FILE PHOTO: A worker sanitises a sign at the International arrivals area of Terminal 5 in London's Heathrow Airport, Britain, August 2, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain dropped its advice against all but essential travel for 32 countries and territories on Wednesday as it continued to simplify its coronavirus travel regime after progress in fighting COVID-19 across the world.

 

The change will allow people to travel more easily to destinations such as Algeria, Malaysia and Senegal as many travel insurance firms exclude cover for places where the government advises against travel, the foreign ministry said.

 

Britain recently replaced its so-called traffic light system with a single red list and has reduced testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.

 

The government is still advising against all but essential travel for scores of countries and territories on its red list which include Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand.

 

"We're striking the right balance between keeping people safe which remains our priority and giving them the freedom to exercise personal responsibility, while supporting the travel sector," foreign minister Liz Truss said.

 

(Writing by William Schomberg; Editing by Giles Elgood)

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-10-07

 

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[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"We're striking the right balance between keeping people safe which remains our priority and giving them the freedom to exercise personal responsibility, while supporting the travel sector," foreign minister Liz Truss said.

Guess she left off 'and avoiding trusting nations whose figure we do not believe'

[ExpatOilWorker]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The government is still advising against all but essential travel for scores of countries and territories on its red list which include Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand.

Is the originator of the Wuflu, China, also on the red list?

[Rampant Rabbit]

so what  happens if I cross the border to Malaysia from Thailand and get a flight on to the UK? is the border  open to Malaysia? 

Edited October 6, 2021 by Rampant Rabbit

[sirineou]

38 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Is the originator of the Wuflu, China, also on the red list?

The red list is not punitive but rather reflects conditions on the said country , number of infections and levels of vaccination.

 In Thailand not only are the levels of infection still relatively high , but the numbers are not trusted to be accurate because of the low rate of testing. In addition only a small percentage of the population is vaccinated, and those that are vaccinated , are by substandard vaccines,  giving fear of the rise of a new Covid variant geveloping there and being imported back to the UK. 

[MRToMRT]

24 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

so what  happens if I cross the border to Malaysia from Thailand and get a flight on to the UK?

The travellers covid locator info form you have to fill out requires details of 10 days prior travel.

 

Saying that the article is NOT about the red list. There could still be another red list announcement today but the fact that FCO advice on Thailand mentions COVID makes dropping from the red list seem more far less likely than before.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

so what  happens if I cross the border to Malaysia from Thailand and get a flight on to the UK? is the border  open to Malaysia? 

Your movements will be on your passport and checked when you arrive in UK

 

[Thaiophil]

There is no link between FCDO advice and the red list which is run by the Health Dept. It has been clear from the start that there is no coordination between the two depts. So Thailand may still come off the red list later this week 

 

It is widely reported in UK media that the red list will be cut to about 12 countries. On official figures, Thailand would not be in the worst 12, but cynics might think the positive trend in the figures here is convenient for the start of the tourist season

[Jumbo1968]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Your movements will be on your passport and checked when you arrive in UK

 

And a possible £10000 fine if caught !

[grumbleweed]

The Thai hocus pocus approach to vaccination, such as mix and match, along with subcutaneous injections should ensure that Thai vaccines are not recognized.

If they are: witch doctors around the world will rightly feel aggrieved. 

 

Even if the smoke and mirror approach to statistics is believed,  the lifting of travel restrictions will only apply to those vaccinated in countries with a proper vaccination program.

[dunroaming]

9 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

so what  happens if I cross the border to Malaysia from Thailand and get a flight on to the UK? is the border  open to Malaysia? 

Probably get stamped out of Thailand when you leave and that will flag up on arrival in UK.  Might be better to simply fly to a European country and then overland and get a ferry to the UK.  But is it really worth all the hassle?

[Mac Mickmanus]

4 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Probably get stamped out of Thailand when you leave and that will flag up on arrival in UK.  Might be better to simply fly to a European country and then overland and get a ferry to the UK.  But is it really worth all the hassle?

Up to a 10 000 GBP fine if caught trying to avoid quarantine laws 

[bangon04]

9 hours ago, sirineou said:

The red list is not punitive but rather reflects conditions on the said country , number of infections and levels of vaccination.

 In Thailand not only are the levels of infection still relatively high , but the numbers are not trusted to be accurate 

and we trust every piece of information which is allowed out by the CCP, of course....

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Your movements will be on your passport and checked when you arrive in UK

 

and the UK will send their own citizens back to Malaysia, and at the same time put up the boat people arriving from France into hotels and give them other benefits? Amazing isn't it?

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Up to a 10 000 GBP fine if caught trying to avoid quarantine laws 

Not if your only income is the state pension, they can't take what you haven't got, and they can't take any money from your state pension.

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Not if your only income is the state pension, they can't take what you haven't got, and they can't take any money from your state pension.

They can fine you and if you don't pay they can send the bailiffs around to take 10 000 GDP worth of your property or you can agree to pay them a certain amount every week or they could jail you 

[Mac Mickmanus]

8 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

and the UK will send their own citizens back to Malaysia, and at the same time put up the boat people arriving from France into hotels and give them other benefits? Amazing isn't it?

The U.K will not send you back anywhere , they cannot refuse you entry to the U.K 

[DonniePeverley]

4 hours ago, dunroaming said:

 Might be better to simply fly to a European country and then overland and get a ferry to the UK.  But is it really worth all the hassle?

Not possible either, as a Brit now once you arrive in Europe you are stamped. Racists wrecked everything for us Brits. 

[DonniePeverley]

3 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The U.K will not send you back anywhere , they cannot refuse you entry to the U.K 

But they will fine you for arriving without a booking (then pass your debt to a debt collection agency), then send you to a quarantine hotel. Better you book a nice hotel yourself, or stay in a third country for 10 days, rather than risk being put in a travellodge. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by DonniePeverley

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

They can fine you and if you don't pay they can send the bailiffs around to take 10 000 GDP worth of your property or you can agree to pay them a certain amount every week or they could jail you 

What if you don't have property, live in a rented house, they cannot insist on taking any money from your state, notice "state" pension. There is also certain things in a house that they cannot take.

[NoshowJones]

6 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The U.K will not send you back anywhere , they cannot refuse you entry to the U.K 

I know that. ????

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

But they will fine you for arriving without a booking (then pass your debt to a debt collection agency), then send you to a quarantine hotel. Better you book a nice hotel yourself, or stay in a third country for 10 days, rather than risk being put in a travellodge. 

I think you will have to show a quarantine hotel booking to be allowed to board the flight in the first place 

[DonniePeverley]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

What if you don't have property, live in a rented house, they cannot insist on taking any money from your state, notice "state" pension. There is also certain things in a house that they cannot take.

They will find craap in your rented home - be it your sofa, tv, bed, tables, they can take it all. The only things they can't take is things you need for work. 

 

Do yourself a favour and get this 'ill play the system' out of your thought process. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

12 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

What if you don't have property, live in a rented house, they cannot insist on taking any money from your state, notice "state" pension. There is also certain things in a house that they cannot take.

They may not be able to take money from your pension, but they can require you to pay a fine out of that money

[3NUMBAS]

jabs with sinocvac does not inspire confidence

[BostonRob2]

3 hours ago, bangon04 said:

and we trust every piece of information which is allowed out by the CCP, of course....

Dear Bangon. Congratulations on getting your login name spot on.

[stigar]

Im happpy im fully vaccinitated with Phizer and have a legal vaccinepassport thats approved in EU and UK.Im in my country now.If i go to thailand and coming back i can take home quarantene for 10 days,and if negative Covid-test after 3 days can stop my quarantene.What a mess for the people whos get vaccinated in thailand.I went home 1st june from BKK.Im happy i did that.After i arrived my country i had 7 days in quarantene hotel.That cocsts me about 50 pound a day.Its alot of foreigners who have to stay in thailand necause their vaccine they took there is not approved anywhere else.

I geel sorry for u guys.

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

12 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Your movements will be on your passport and checked when you arrive in UK

 

guess  so but sometimes  UK customs  ask me where ive come from and ill say Dubai even though that was  only transit from Thailand......not that ive any plans to travel until all this   pallava is well and truly  gone.

[Rampant Rabbit]

29 minutes ago, stigar said:

Im happpy im fully vaccinitated with Phizer and have a legal vaccinepassport thats approved in EU and UK.

Guessing American? and so I had the same American Pfizer  donated by them to  Thailand  and administered in Thailand but  have nothing to show the UK border  farce

[stigar]

33 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Guessing American? and so I had the same American Pfizer  donated by them to  Thailand  and administered in Thailand but  have nothing to show the UK border  farce

Im scandinavian.Anyway its terrible for the people whos blocked in thailand now because they trusted that their vaccine get approved.But its not.