High Commission of the Republic of Mozambique

Mozambique removed from UK red list travel restrictions

London, 8 Oct (AIM) – The British government on Thursday announced that from 11 October Mozambique will be removed from the red list of countries that have the highest level of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

These restrictions were put in place on a total of 54 countries due to concerns over the spread of variants of the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease. However, the government has decided to reduce this list to just seven.

Under the red list, people are only allowed to enter the United Kingdom if they are either a British or Irish national or have residence rights in the UK. Even then, people entering the UK are required to quarantine in specified hotels at a cost of over two thousand pounds (about 175.000 meticais at current exchange rates).

Under the rules for travellers not coming from a red list country, those who are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine and have a recognised certificate to prove it can enter the country with the only obligation to take a PCR test on day two after arrival to confirm that they are virus-free. Later this month the restrictions will be further eased when passengers will be able to use a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR test.

For Mozambican travellers, meeting this threshold may not be so easy. Only four vaccines have been approved: Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen. This includes the AstraZeneca Covishield version that has been used in Mozambique but does not include the Chinese Vero-Cell vaccine.

Another hurdle is that the UK does not recognise documentation from Mozambique (which is written in the official language, Portuguese) as proof that people have been fully vaccinated. As a result, travellers will be required to take a pre-departure test and to book and pay for PCR tests on day two and eight after arrival in Britain. Travellers will also be asked to quarantine in the place they are staying for ten days. This may be reduced if a third test is taken on day five and proves to be negative.

Travel restrictions are subject to change at short notice and travellers are advised to check the official rules before travelling, at www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-transport-and-travel-guidance.
(AIM)