Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has welcomed the announcement from the UK Government that South Africa is removed from England’s red list.
The latest decision of the UK Government to remove all 11 African countries from the red list means that hotel quarantine is no longer required for those returning to the UK from South Africa as of 4 am on 15th December.
“Today’s announcement by the UK Government is a step in the right direction for South Africa’s tourism sector.
When South Africa was added to the red list last month, the implementation of hotel quarantine instead of at-home quarantine was a huge deterrent for Brits who were considering travelling to South Africa at a time when our tourism industry was just beginning to recover,” Minister Sisulu said.
“The Omicron variant is something that we continue to take very seriously, and our scientists are closely monitoring its trajectory to contain the virus and ensure the appropriate robust safety measures are in place. South African borders remain open, and our government and tourism industry have been working extremely hard to implement safety regulations to ensure that we are ready for all inbound visitors.”
Minister Sisulu thanked all tourism stakeholders. “Our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of all our tourism stakeholders. The war room which we recently started is yielding results and today we see the country has been removed from the red list,” Minister Sisulu said.
“The UK announcement has come just in time to allow families and friends to unite over the festive season. We hope to welcome British travellers again very soon!” added Sisulu.
Steve Motale
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