UK Adds 6 African Countries to Red Travel List Over New CCP Virus Variant

Travellers walk through the arrivals area, as tighter rules for international travellers start, at Heathrow Airport, amid the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, London, Britain, on Jan. 18, 2021. Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Direct flights from six countries in Southern Africa are temporarily banned from midday Friday over concerns of a new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus variant, the UK government has announced.

South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and Zimbabwe will be on England’s “red list” from midday Friday, meaning only British or Irish citizens and residents will be allowed to enter England if they have been to one of these countries in the past ten days, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Thursday.