Travel Ban due to New Variant

The EU has agreed that travel to and from certain countries in Africa will be suspended due to a new covid variant being found there. UK has also suspended travel and one case of the variant, called the B.1.1.29, Botswana variant or Nu variant, has been found in Belgium so it is already in the EU. This was found in an unvaccinated woman who had travelled from Egypt via Turkey.

The countries are:
South Africa
Lesotho
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
Namibia
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

It was also agreed that those who have the right to residency in an EU country coming from any of those places will undergo testing and quarantine on arrival.

The above variant has now been name Omicron.

Just announced that all travellers to UK must take a PCR test by Day 2 of arrival and self isolate until the result comes through. If it is positive or your tracking form shows you have come into contact with someone infected then you must isolate at the address you have given for 10 days.

Facemasks in shops, hospitality outlets and on public transport are now compulsory.

4 more countries have been added to the red list, Malawi - Mozambique - Zambia - Angola.
Further restrictions were hinted at and the PM refused to rule out a lockdown before Christmas.

Had a date been given or is this with immediate effect?

From now, apparently. Oh, and the speech by Boris has been amended and he now says the rules for hospitality venues will not change. So just retail and public transport for the masks, then.

Will be in effect for 3 weeks after which it will be reviewed.

Edited:
Actually not immediately as the details on the use of face masks will be announced "in the next day or so".
No date is mentioned for when the PCR tests come in but would imagine when the Sec of State for Health explains the rules for face masks as well.

The airlines and those visiting family for Christmas will be thrilled.
Once again the UK being the only one requiring PCR tests... someone in government must need a cash injection from the testing companies

The Gov advice page has not yet been updated with the rules announced today. It is up to date on the red list in Southern Africa yesterday.

I think it’s if you come into contact with someone who has the Omicron variant you have to isolate for 10 days even if you’ve been double jabbed, but if it’s just Covid I think you don’t have to isolate, that was my understanding of the new rules but perhaps someone knows if that’s correct?

Yes, only if you come into contact with someone with this new variant.
But haven't you got to self isolate anyway if you get pinged by the track and trace system? Someone on here mentioned they were contacted and told to self isolate as someone on their flight tested positive.

I got pinged also a couple of weeks ago but as I was double jabbed didn’t need to isolate, I have heard that most flights get pinged these days as they don’t ask for the seat number anymore on the locator form, so my guess is as soon as someone tests positive they ping the whole flight, I would assume now they will tell you someone has tested positive for the new variant and then yes it’s self isolation regardless of vaccination.

marcliff wrote:Yes, only if you come into contact with someone with this new variant.
But haven't you got to self isolate anyway if you get pinged by the track and trace system? Someone on here mentioned they were contacted and told to self isolate as someone on their flight tested positive.

That's only if you are not fully vaccinated in the UK (changing on 1 December when EU vaccines will also be recognised by the UK for this purpose)