SAJID Javid has announced that all 11 countries on the coronavirus travel red list will be removed from 4am on Wednesday.

The health secretary told Commons the Covid travel red list will be removed as the system is “less effective in slowing the incursion” of the Omicron variant.

The announcement means passengers from the 11 countries will no longer have to self-isolate in hotel quarantine at the cost of £2,285.

When will Covid travel rules in England be reviewed?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps took to social media to further explain the rules.

He tweeted: “All current TESTING measures remain in place & will be reviewed in the first week of January.”

Response to Covid travel red list from Airlines UK

Responding to the decision to remove all 11 countries on the UK travel red list, Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents UK-registered carriers, said the list itself was “not necessary” due to Omicron being established in the UK.

He said: “Removing these countries from the red list makes complete sense but doesn’t go nearly far enough. If the red list isn’t necessary given that Omicron is established here at home, then neither are the costly emergency testing and isolation measures imposed on even fully vaccinated travellers, which again put us completely at odds with the rest of Europe. It is testing that is the deterrent to travel, not the relatively limited red list.

“Government has admitted that the measures introduced are disastrous for the travel sector, and the science says they aren’t now required. The Health Secretary says he wants to act quickly to remove unnecessary restrictions, and we implore him to make good on this by scrapping testing as soon as possible, otherwise the key Christmas and New Year booking period will be undermined.

“This is make or break for UK aviation and if Government is unable to row back from these restrictions over the New Year, it will need to step in with further economic support for a sector that again has been singled out.”