By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
The British government is expected to remove Nigeria and other countries including South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe from England’s red list, easing travel restrictions.
The BBC reports that British ministers cited the further spread of the variant as a reason for reviewing travel rules. Currently, all UK arrivals from red list countries must pay for and self-isolate in a pre-booked, government-approved hotel for 10 days. They must also take Covid tests within 48 hours of setting off for the UK and PCR tests within two days of their arrival.
The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the Omicron variant. The action which is expected to come into force at 4 am on Wednesday is being viewed as an indication that the government accepts Omicron can no longer be contained.
A tweet from travel expert, Simon Calder stated:” Strong rumour that red list will be emptied at 4 am tomorrow, meaning no more hotel quarantine from South Africa, Nigeria and nine other African countries. Calling DfT repeatedly for confirmation. Key point: will people currently in now pointless hotel quarantine be able to leave?”
The UK placed a temporary ban on air travel from Nigeria and six southern African countries with immediate effect to prevent importation of the variant into the country. There was an outcry from many African countries, with the UN describing the ban on non-UK residents entering England as “travel apartheid”.
In response to the travel ban, the Nigerian government said it will restrict airlines coming from Canada, the UK, and Saudi Arabia from Tuesday. Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said it was to reciprocate the travel ban placed on Nigeria over the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
But during a press briefing of the Presidential Task Force which took place in Abuja on Monday, Sirika said there were ongoing negotiations between both countries and that there are indications that the issue would be resolved soon.