There are indications that the United Kingdom is set to review its red list which saw Nigeria, alongside other African countries placed on stringent travel restrictions.
A report by Mailonline, disclosed that UK’s transport secretary Grant Shapps, during a meeting convinced his cabinet colleagues to change stringent measures reintroduced on travels in the wake of the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
According to the report, Shapps was said to have protested against the decision of the government to place 11 African countries on the country’s red list. The transport secretary was said to have lamented the implications of the decision, saying that many citizens who returned from the 11 countries on the red list self-isolated themselves for 10 days in a government quarantine hotel at their own expense, which currently runs to £2,285.
Though the UK government said the measure was taken to protect its citizens against the risk posed by new variant, many had criticised the decision saying that it is evident Omicron is spreading rapidly across the world.
According to Mailonline, Shapps was able to convince his colleagues and the restrictions will be reviewed in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a source from the UK embassy in Nigeria said there is no new development as of now, but refused to strike out the possibility of a review of the ban. The source noted that the decision of the UK is expected to be known on December 20.
“We will know on December 20th, what the way forward is and if there’s a new development before then, we will issue and official statement,” a source was quoted as saying.
