Covid: All countries to be removed from England's travel red list

The remaining seven countries on England's Covid travel red list are set to be removed, the BBC understands.

Passengers arriving from Colombia, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela and Ecuador will soon no longer have to quarantine in a hotel at their cost for 10 full days.

But there is no suggestion the system is ending, and a country could be added back on the list if cases rise there.

More than 200,000 people have stayed in quarantine in hotels since February.

The change has not officially been announced by the Department for Transport, but there have been reports that an announcement is expected later.

It is also possible the government could decide to increase the number of countries from where they accept proof of vaccination certificates.

Previous changes to the travel lists have come into effect on the Monday or Tuesday following an announcement. The initial change will apply to England, with other UK nations able to set their own travel rules.

Pandemic travel rules in the UK were simplified earlier this month, with the amber list cut, and advice against holidays changed for many countries.

Fully vaccinated travellers arriving in England from more than 100 countries and territories now need only have a lateral flow test on arrival. Arrivals in Scotland and Wales must have the more expensive PCR test although this will change on Sunday.

Red list countries are those the government said should not be visited "except in the most extreme of circumstances". The list was introduced as part of measures to reduce the potential risk from travellers infected with coronavirus.

Travellers arriving from a red list destination are required to spend 11 nights in a government-designated hotel at a cost of £2,285.

The prime minister's official spokesman has confirmed there were no plans to scrap the red list policy.

However, Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: "There's no justification now for any country to be on a red list or for hotel quarantine to be in existence.

"There have been no new variants of concern since May and countries are now learning that blanket border measures, such as blocking whole countries, don't work.

"The best approach is to check for an individual's vaccine status and ensure they are up to date if they want to travel without restrictions."