UK removes Bangladesh from Covid red-list

After repeated requests, the UK has removed Bangladesh from its travel red list.

Bangladesh is moving to the amber list from 4am Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen welcomed the decision and thanked the British government for considering Bangladesh’s request.

Apart from Bangladesh, seven more countries have been removed from the harshest restrictions (red list) on travel.

UK Gov has announced removal of Bangladesh from Covid Red List to Amber List only for England wef Wednesday 22nd September, 4am.
Travellers from Bangladesh will no longer require 10-days hotel quarantine frm 22 September 2021.https://t.co/ZX6JXgcbih

— Saida Muna Tasneem (@MunaTasneem) September 17, 2021

They are Turkey, Pakistan, The Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka Oman and Kenya.

Also Read - Momen calls UK's Covid red-listing unfair, discriminatory

Travellers from Bangladesh will no longer require 10-day hotel quarantine from September 22.

"It is good news. During my recent visit to the UK, I requested the country's government to remove Bangladesh from the red list," Dr Momen said in a video message.

He told the UK government that its decision to keep Bangladesh on the red list was not justified when the two countries are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations.

"We thank the British government. We are grateful," said the foreign minister, who is travelling abroad with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Last week, the minister said the UK government was doing a disservice to its own citizens as more than 7,000 British-Bangladeshis are currently stranded in Bangladesh.

The UK government argued that the vaccination rate was low in Bangladesh. "But they are allowing people from other countries having lower vaccination rates," Dr Momen added.

Also Read - Momen urges UK to remove Bangladesh from Covid-19 red-list

Dr Momen also raised the issue during his meeting with his British counterpart Dominic Raab on September 6.

In reply, Raab assured that the UK would review the matter and his government is well aware of decreasing Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh. 

"I would like to assure you that given the long-standing friendship between our two countries, and based on more frequent genomic sequencing data-uploading by Bangladesh, the British Government will review Bangladesh's red-list," the British foreign secretary of state said.

However, he said, such decisions are reviewed by public health experts on a regular basis.