Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Zambia has been removed from the UK’s covid-19 travel red list together with ten other African countries mostly from southern African.
The measure took effect at 4am this morning.
Other countries removed from the red list include Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The red list was reintroduced in late November as a precaution after the emergence of the omicron variant.
But health secretary Sajid Javid said it had spread so widely the rules no longer had much purpose.
He told parliament that the travel red list is now less effective in slowing the incursion of omicron from abroad.
All UK arrivals from red list countries were required to pay for and self-isolate in a pre-booked, government-approved hotel for 10 days.
But with all 11 countries being removed from that list, it was confirmed that those currently in managed quarantine would be allowed to leave early and “follow the rules as if they had arrived from a non-red list country”.