Published: Friday 26 November 2021
From midday today, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia will be added to the UK’s travel red list.
Anyone arriving in England from 4am on Sunday will need to book and pay for a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days. British nationals arriving from these countries between midday today and 4am on Sunday, must quarantine at home for 10 days and take NHS PCR tests on day two and day eight, even if you already have a lateral flow test booking.
If you have arrived from any of these countries in the last 10 days, NHS Test and Trace will contact you and ask you to take a PCR test. Please do not wait to be contacted, take a PCR test right away.
This is a precautionary measure following the identification of a new variant of COVID-19. No cases of this variant have been identified in the UK as of Friday 26 November.
As we continue to learn to live with COVID-19, there are simple things we can do to protect ourselves and others from the virus. This means:
• getting fully vaccinated if you haven’t already
• getting your COVID-19 booster vaccination if six months have passed since your second dose
• letting fresh air in if you meet indoors - meeting outdoors is safer
• getting tested before periods of higher risk such as visiting vulnerable people or going to a crowded or enclosed setting
• wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed areas, health settings and on public transport
• practising good hand hygiene by washing hands regularly or using hand sanitiser when out and about
Find more information on how to stay safe and reduce the spread of COVID-19.