United Kingdom has on Tuesday said Nigeria and 10 other countries will be removed from its travel red list from 4am on Wednesday.
Recall that British government on December 4 placed Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe on its travel ban following the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
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It said the red list was reintroduced as a precaution after the emergence of the Omicron variant.
However, many observed that the countries listed had little record of the new COVID-19 variant while other European with increasing cases were not on the list, sparking outrage.
Read Also: Omicron: UK Red Listing Nigeria Is Unjust, Discriminatory – Lai Mohammed
United Nations also described the ban on non-UK residents entering England as “travel apartheid.”
UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, has now announced the removal of the 11 countries from the list while addressing Members of Parliament.
According to him;
Now that there is community transmission of Omicron in the UK and Omicron has spread so widely across the world, the travel red list is now less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad.
Read Also: Omicron Variant: FG Expresses Disappointment Over UK Govt’s Red Listing Of Nigeria
Javid added;
So I can announce today that whilst we’ll maintain our temporary testing measures for international travel, we will be removing all 11 countries from the travel red list effective from 4:00 am tomorrow.
The red list was reintroduced as a precaution after the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the COVID-19.
BBC reports that 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.
Some arrivals have already paid thousands of pounds to stay in government-approved quarantine hotels, and there have been complaints of chaotic organisation and inedible food during their stays.
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Javid said he had asked for urgent advice on whether those currently in managed quarantine would be able to leave early.
He also said he was “very persuaded” by calls to reimburse people and hoped to make an announcement soon.
The travel industry had also warned the restrictions were hurting business.
Meanwhile, the reversal comes just days after Nigeria said it had plans to also place the UK on a red list.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, making clarifications on the decision on Sunday, had said contrary to claims that the plan was on a tit-for-tat basis, the move was only expected to be in the best interest of the country.
“I don’t want you to look at it from that angle, (the tit-for-tat perception). No, it’s not that,” he stated.
Mamora added;
In international diplomacy, I am aware that you have what we call the principle of reciprocity in which case you want to act in a reciprocal manner that another country has acted.
But most importantly, in all these, is that as a sovereign state we have every right to determine what is best for us in terms of our interest.
Whichever way we act, it is in consonance with what we take to be in our own best interest. So it is not an issue of tit-for-tat. It’s been done in the best interest of our country.
Watch a video of Sajid Javid speaking below:
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