British MPs Question Exclusion of Kenya from UK's COVID-19 'Red List'

A section of British MPs has questioned the exclusion of Kenya from the recently released UK COVID-19 ‘red list.’

Travelers from the 33 “high-risk” countries named in the list are required to undergo 10-day mandatory quarantine in government-designated facilities upon arrival in the UK effective February 15th.

But a group of UK MPs feel Kenya and several other countries including the US, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Canada, and Belgium should have been included in the red list.

Speaking to The Guardian, Labor Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds termed the measures as not fair nor adequate.

“The government’s plans around quarantine are in disarray. Not only do they fail to go far enough – leaving open the door to potential vaccine-resistant strains, but they also can’t implement the half-baked plans that have been announced,” he said.

Dr. Julian Tang, a virologist at Leicester University, said countries like Kenya should be on the list since its COVID-19 patterns are still under watch. He added that the new method of “selective red listing” would erode the gain made in the fight against COVID-19.

“It’s not good enough. This virus spreads like wildfire. If you let some people in but not others, from a virology point of view, it’s fairly futile,” Dr. Tang said.

Under the new rules, travelers will be picked by a government vehicle once they land in the UK and will be transported to a quarantine facility (hotel) at their own cost.

The tighter travel restrictions are designed to reduce the introduction and transmission of new COVID-19 variants.

Some of the countries included in the red list include Brazil, Botswana, DR Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Portugal, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Burundi, and Mozambique.