June 2, 2021: BaaghiTV: According to the details, passengers coming on direct flights from the red list countries will now transit through Terminal 3, which was closed last year.
Heathrow officials said their first priority was to protect the public and help mitigate any new threats. The red list includes 43 countries, but only direct flights are allowed from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Direct flights from Kenya are also allowed, but the country has currently suspended air travel to the UK. Only British and Irish citizens or British citizens are allowed to travel from the countries listed.
But anyone who has been in a red-listed country for the past 10 days, whether they have arrived directly in the UK or via another country, will be quarantined in a hotel for 10 nights upon arrival. This comes at a time when a scientist has warned the British government of a sign that the country is in the early stages of a third wave of corona virus infections. A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: “The rate of vaccination of the population against Corona virus covid 19 varies in the countries on the British government’s red list.”
He said that a special terminal would be opened for those coming from the red list countries and these passengers would have to take isolation in a government-run hotel which would be a logically challenging task. We hope that this will enable the Border Force to carry out its duties more efficiently as it will increase the number of passengers from the Green List countries. The airport spokesman added that the arrival terminal for those landing from countries on the government’s red travel list would eventually be moved to Terminal Four.
But for now, the current Red List system will continue, including the mandatory negative quad test for all international arrivals, social distance, segregation and improved sanitation systems, and ventilation in immigration halls. A large number of countries are included in the amber list, which means that travelers must adopt isolation in their homes when returning home. The government has advised people against unnecessary travel to the countries on the list.
With the addition of 12 more countries to the government’s green list, it is expected that the volume of passengers traveling through the airport will increase significantly, which means that passengers will generally be segregated on return. Will not need to Heathrow added that Terminal 4 would be reopened as soon as possible. A government spokesman emphasized that the UK’s top priority was protecting public health.
“Since we open international travel safely, we will maintain a 100% health check at the border and the new designated terminal at Heathrow for passengers from Red List countries to handle passengers safely and efficiently,” the spokesman said. Will be quarantined before anyone is transferred. “We make every effort to streamline this process, including the rollout of our eGate upgrade program over the summer and the deployment of additional Border Force officers,” he said.
Before the government first introduced the Quarantine Hotel three-and-a-half months ago, travelers from red-listed areas were mingling with other travelers in immigration halls, where they could wait for hours on end. Some people felt threatened. Although the idea of a separate red list terminal has been proposed before, the issue has always been who will pay for it. After a year of surprisingly low passenger numbers, opening an additional terminal was a huge expense that Heathrow was not anxious about.
Some felt that since the red list was government policy, it was up to the government to move the bill forward. According to media reports, although neither the government nor airport officials have confirmed who is covering the cost, it is understood that the government is now taking a significant share of it. International travel is likely to be very different for a while, as Heathrow expects the Red List terminal to be needed for some time.
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