- Travel ban implemented for visitors from India from 4am on
Friday 23 April
- British, Irish and third-country nationals with residence
rights (including long-term visa holders) arriving from India
will be required to self-isolate in a Government-approved hotel
quarantine facility for 10 days
- Move follows new data showing an increased risk of
importation of new variant
India has been added to England’s red list to
protect the country against a new variant of coronavirus
(COVID-19) and against other existing variants.
The situation in India has deteriorated with an extremely rapid
rise in cases detected throughout April, which is accelerating.
Over the last week, local rates have almost doubled, increasing
to 111 cases detected per 100,000 per week - higher than any
other point in the outbreak. Despite the current travel measures,
there is a high volume of travel between India and the UK, and we
have already seen 103 cases of the Variant under Investigation
(VUI) in the UK.
From 4am on Friday 23 April, international visitors who have
departed from or transited through India in the previous 10 days
will be refused entry into England. Only British and Irish
citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK (including
long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and they must
stay in a Government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.
They will also be required to arrive into a designated port.
Direct flights from India will continue to be permitted, but
passengers are advised to check their travel plans before
departing for England.
During their managed quarantine stay, passengers will be required
to take a coronavirus test on or before day 2 and on or after day
8, and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine
period on receipt of a negative test result or through the Test
to Release scheme.
With over 42 million vaccinations delivered in the UK so far, the
move will help to reduce the risk of new variants entering
England.
Decisions on travel restrictions are taken by Ministers and are
informed by evidence including Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC)
analysis as well as other wider public health considerations. The
JBC risk assessments cover a range of factors for each country,
including:
- assessment of surveillance and sequencing capability
- available surveillance and genome sequencing data
- evidence of in-country community transmission of COVID-19
variants
- evidence of exportation of new variants to the UK or other
countries
- travel connectivity with the UK
British nationals currently in countries on the red list should
make use of the commercial options available if they wish to
return to England. Commercial routes that will enable British and
Irish nationals and residents to return to England continue to
operate.
British nationals in these countries should check Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice and
follow local guidance. The FCDO will continue to offer tailored
consular assistance to British nationals in need of support
overseas on a 24/7 basis.
Border Force will continue to carry out thorough checks at the
border to keep the public safe.
Notes to editors
The Government has made it consistently clear it will take
decisive action if necessary to contain the virus and has added
these destinations to the red list to protect public health.
The Government continues to work with the hospitality sector to
ensure it is ready to meet any increased demand.
Enquiries in relation to booking hotel quarantine facilities
should be directed to: Corporate Travel Management on Tel
+44 1274 726424 or
North.hotels@travelctm.com
While the stay in UK requirement is in place, you are only
allowed to leave the UK from England if you have a reasonable excuse. It
is illegal to travel abroad without a reasonable excuse. Travel
abroad for holidays is not permitted.
You could be fined for leaving, or trying to leave, the UK
without a reasonable excuse.
We are bringing in these measures as quickly as possible, however
some time is needed to operationalise these changes at the border
before the travel ban can be fully implemented.
