Britain eases travel advisories for several Asia-Pacific destinations

October 7th 2021

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Britain is expected to reduce the list of “red ” countries after easing COVID travel advisories this week for a number of Asia-Pacific nations. Read More » The UK has replaced its traffic light system with a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. As part of the simplification, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Wednesday lifted its advice against all but essential travel for 32 countries and territories. Asia-Pacific nations benefitting by the easing include Malaysia, Bangladesh, Fiji and a slew of other Pacific islands such as Vanuatu and Tonga. The department will no longer advise against travel to countries not on the red list on COVID grounds except in exceptional circumstances. An example would be when a local healthcare system was overwhelmed. UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said the rule tweaks would make travelling more straightforward. “We are 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 as it continues to recover,’’ Truss said on the department’s website. “The FCDO advises against travel when it assesses the risk to travelling British nationals to be ‘unacceptably high’ across a range of risks including safety and security. Before the pandemic, this was reserved for fragile states or areas.“ The easing of travel advisories comes as British media tipped the red list could be slashed from 54 countries to as few as nine. Asian countries still on the red list early Thursday were Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia. Travellers who are not British residents or nationals of Britain and Ireland are not allowed to enter the UK if they have been in a red list destination 10 days before they arrive.