
South Africa welcomes red list move
South Africa has welcomed a decision by the UK government to remove the country from the travel red list.
Tourism minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, said the decision would boost the economy in the destination.
The latest relaxation means that hotel quarantine is no longer required for those returning to the UK from South Africa and a number of other destination as of today.
“The announcement by the UK government is a step in the right direction for South Africa’s tourism sector.
“When South Africa was added to the red list last month, the implementation of hotel quarantine instead of at-home quarantine was a huge deterrent for Brits who were considering travelling to South Africa at a time when our tourism industry was just beginning to recover,” Sisulu said.
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“The Omicron variant is something that we continue to take very seriously, and our scientists are closely monitoring its trajectory to contain the virus and ensure the appropriate robust safety measures are in place.
“South African borders remain open, and our government and tourism industry have been working extremely hard to implement safety regulations to ensure that we are ready for all inbound visitors.”
Sisulu continued: “We appreciate all the hard work and dedication of all our tourism stakeholders. Our lobbying efforts are yielding results and today we see the country has been removed from the red list.
“We hope to welcome British travellers again very soon.”