Attempting to facilitate safe international arrivals into the country, UK’s Heathrow Airport has now opened a dedicated terminal for passengers coming from ‘Red List’ countries, including India. By Bayar Jain
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After adding India to the ‘Red List’ in April, effectively barring any travels to and fro from the nation, UK’s Heathrow Airport has now opened a dedicated terminal to ease international arrivals from the high-risk nations, reports Business Standard. While passengers will transit through Terminal 3, they will still be required to mandatorily quarantine at a hotel for 10 days at their own expense, notes the report.
According to BBC, while there are 43 countries on the list, only arrivals from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh will be allowed currently. Moreover, passengers must be British or Irish nationals or UK residents. As per reports, passengers from Kenya are also allowed, however, the African nation has currently suspended all flights to the UK.
An airport spokesperson has reportedly told the media that “red list routes might be a feature for UK travel” for some time as countries are undergoing inoculation drives at differing rates.
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Speaking to Financial Express, an official from Heathrow airport says that this latest system of differentiated terminals comes with layers of safety such as mandatory negative COVID-19 test reports, social distancing, enhanced cleaning regimes, ventilation at immigration halls, and standard pandemic-related protocols like using masks, etc. “We will move this facility to Terminal 4 as soon as operationally possible,” the Heathrow spokesperson reportedly said.
Notably, UK’s Heathrow airport isn’t the only nation to allow passengers from the red list. According to Free Press Journal, the Dutch government has also lifted its ban on passengers from India starting June 1.
Editor’s Note: Keeping the current situation of the pandemic in mind, T+L India recommends every reader to stay safe, and take all government-regulated precautions in case travel at this time is absolutely necessary. Please follow our stories on COVID-19 for all the latest travel guidelines.
Related: London’s Heathrow Airport Will Start Organising COVID-19 Tests For Incoming Passengers
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