Omicron Fear: Britain scales up testing for inbound travellers, adds Nigeria to red list
The United Kingdom has added Nigeria to its red list category as it tightens travel restrictions in an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
Health Minister Sajid Javid disclosed on Saturday that Britain will require all inbound travelers to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test and arrivals from Nigeria will have to quarantine in hotels to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.
“From 0400 on Monday 6 December, Nigeria will be added to the red list for entering England,” the UK government’s travel advisory on Nigeria said.
This means Nigerians who do not have UK citizenship or residence permit can no longer travel to the country until the advisory is revised.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that travel restrictions are necessary to slow the spread of Omicron while scientists work to understand more about the transmissibility and implications for vaccine effectiveness of the variant.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the total number of confirmed Omicron cases had risen to 160.
“We’ve kept the data under review over the last week or so since we learned about Omicron, and we’re seeing an increasing number of cases linked to travel,” Javid said in a broadcast clip.
“We’ve always said we will act swiftly if we need to… and that’s why we decided to bring in this change on pre-departure tests.”
The pre-departure testing requirement will mean that from 0400 GMT on Tuesday, all inbound travelers must take either a PCR or a rapid lateral flow test a maximum of 48 hours before departure.
The health ministry said that the measure was justified as UKHSA analysis indicated the window between infection and infectiousness may be shorter for the Omicron variant.
But British Airways said it was a “devastating blow” for the industry, while pilot union BALPA said the government was destroying confidence in air travel.
The measures which applies to even fully vaccinated persons will be reviewed on December 20.
Nigeria first reported cases of the Omicron variant on Wednesday.
