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Egypt is off the red list, yet the Government still advises against travel for 'Covid risks'

People relax on beach chairs in Sharm El Sheikh - Ed Giles/Getty Images Europe
People relax on beach chairs in Sharm El Sheikh - Ed Giles/Getty Images Europe

It should be a morning to rejoice. As of 4am today, eight countries have been removed from the red list, bringing the number of no-go countries down to 54.

It was announced last Friday that Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Kenya and the Maldives would be moved onto the ‘Ok to travel’ list, meaning arrivals from these countries no longer need to endure an expensive 10-day stint in a quarantine hotel after landing in the UK.

Doubly good news is that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps spoke in the House of Commons earlier this week to suggest the red list will no longer see “instant changes”. This threat has hung over many trips since the traffic lights were introduced earlier this year.

However, while Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt have been removed from the red list, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) still advises against travel to these destinations due to “Covid risks”.

To take the Government’s Sri Lanka warning, verbatim: “The FCDO advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Sri Lanka based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.”

This is a significant discrepancy. If a country is deemed safe enough to come off the Department for Transport’s Covid high-risk list, then why is it still deemed high risk by the FCDO for its Covid status? Lack of communication between the departments, you suspect, could be the answer, or a slow morning for the intern put in charge of updating these pages. Or perhaps there is some alchemic theory, which deems a country safe enough to return from but not safe enough to go to?

Whatever the cause of this contradiction, if it isn’t fixed soon it will put travellers in a tricky position. If you step foot in a country that the FCDO warns against visiting, it will almost certainly invalidate your insurance policy. I wonder how many of the individuals on today’s 3pm Heathrow to Cairo service are aware of this, or those boarding the 3.40pm from Heathrow to Islamabad.

Only a small selection of insurers, including Staysure (staysure.co.uk), Campbell Irvine (campbellirvinedirect.com) and Battleface (battleface.com), will cover you. But expect to pay a premium, as you would if you were to seek cover for visiting somewhere against FCDO advice before the pandemic, like Iran or Afghanistan.

It also leaves tour operators in murky waters, for they too will be hamstrung by the FCDO’s ongoing travel advisories. easyJet Holidays confirmed to Telegraph Travel: “With safety and enjoyment front of mind we will cancel any holidays where the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advises against all but essential travel. We keep any bookings under review in the lead up to our customers’ planned departure date.”

A spokesperson for Tui said: “We follow FCDO advice and should the advice change for a destination then we will align our programme accordingly.”

While a spokesperson for Trailfinders said: “As per our Peace of Mind policy, we're allowing our clients to move their holidays or obtain a refund, if they're planning a trip to Egypt. We won't recommend anyone travels to a country where FCDO is against all but essential travel as this would invalidate their travel insurance.”

The Government has made strides towards simplifying the traffic light system by scrapping green and amber and only having a red list, effective October 4. They have also done away with the 72-hour pre-departure test for the vaccinated, and will soon be overhauling the PCR test on day two, asking for a cheaper lateral flow instead. This is all positive from the point of view of the vaccinated traveller, and the industry at large.

However, there needs to be quicker, clearer, and more joined-up communication from Government departments regarding whether a country is OK to visit or not, when it emerges from the red list. For, at the time of writing, Egypt is simultaneously deemed both Covid-safe, and not.

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