Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar will be added to the UK travel ban list as of 04:00 on 19th March.
This means that airlines such as Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Oman Air cannot carry any passengers into the United Kingdom. They can still carry cargo both ways and outbound passengers from the UK. The travel ban also applies to private aircraft.
Qatar Airways is a major carrier for people returning to the UK on connecting flights from countries in Asia and Australasia, so their addition to the red list will have major impact. A travel ban has already been in force for the United Arab Emirates since late January.
Red List Travel Ban Countries
Under the current rules, foreign travel from the UK is banned apart from for exceptional reasons. The earliest date people from England will be able to travel abroad for a holiday is 17th May.
If you have been in or through any of the countries listed below in the previous 10 days, you will be refused entry to the UK.
If you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK, you will be able to enter. You must quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days.
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia (will be added to the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius (will be removed from the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Oman (will be added to the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) (will be removed from the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- Qatar (will be added to the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia (will be added to the list 04:00 Friday 19th March)
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe