UK pares red list to seven countries in bid to encourage air travel

The UK eased entry rules for 47 countries and territories that were subject to the tightest Covid-19 restrictions, in the latest step to shed travel curbs and revive tourism-dependent businesses. South Africa, Mexico and Brazil are among the places from which visitors no longer require a 10-day hotel quarantine, the Department for Transport said Thursday. Only seven nations -- all in Latin America -- will remain on the so-called red list after changes take effect on Monday. The UK is lightening border restrictions after frustrating airlines with constantly changing rules throughout most of the pandemic. A new system that does away with a complicated “traffic-light” approach took effect this week, and destinations including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives have already been moved to the “rest of world” category. “It finally feels like we are seeing light at the end of a very long tunnel,” Sean Doyle, chief executive officer of British Airways, said in a separate statement. The airline will start ramping up flights to South Africa and Mexico, with daily services to Johannesburg and twice-daily flights to Cape Town by year-end. Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela will remain on the red-list, the DfT said. <br/>