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Country Specific Risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Update 41)

03 Dec 2021

International travel continues to be impacted by COVID-19. In November 2021, many countries put travel restrictions in place to respond to the Omicron variant.

On 26th November 2021, a number of countries were added to the UK red list, which lists the rules around COVID-19 testing and quarantine that you must follow if you have been in a red list country in the 10 days before arriving into the UK, regardless of your COVID-19 vaccination status.  The rules advise you must:

The rules for arriving in the UK from a country not on the red list vary depending on whether you are fully vaccinated or not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 using a UK government approved vaccine.

Be aware that even if the country you plan to visit is no longer on the travel red list, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) may still advise against travel to that country due to the risk of COVID-19 at that destination.

  • You should always check the latest FCDO foreign travel advice guidance for each of the countries you intend to travel or transit through.
  • Be aware that the UK red list rules do not stipulate which destinations are allowing UK travellers to enter, this needs to be checked in the 'Entry Requirements' section of each country page on the FCDO foreign travel advice guidance.

Before booking travel, you should consider all of the following:

  • if the country you plan to visit is on the red list
  • carefully review the FCDO guidance on entry requirements, restrictions, screening and quarantine requirements for the country you are visiting
  • travel regulations may change at short notice
  • check the risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) at your destination: this is detailed in the ‘Alerts section’ of each country page
  • consider your risk of developing severe COVID-19
  • make sure you have valid travel insurance
  • check the availability of medical facilities at your destination should you become unwell
  • check if you need to arrange COVID-19 testing at your destination prior to your return to the UK if required to do so
  • review the UK Border Force rules for entering the UK during return travel

Detailed advice on the above points including advice on reducing your risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) during travel is available on the COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel page.

Country Specific COVID-19 Risk

All fitfortravel country pages include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating which identifies the country as having either a 'high risk' or a 'risk' of exposure to COVID-19 for UK travellers. 

  • This risk-rating can be found in the 'Alerts' section on every country page and each risk-rating is accompanied by appropriate travel advice.

You should avoid non-essential travel to 'high risk' countries, even if you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 due to the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and/or emerging or known variants of coronavirus (COVID-19) in that country.

As of 1 December 2021, the following countries have a FCDO advisory warning against travel and have therefore been classified as having a high risk of exposure to COVID-19:

  • Afghanistan
  • Angola
  • Botswana
  • Burundi
  • Democratic People's Republic of Korea
  • Eswatini (Swaziland)
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Haiti
  • Lesotho
  • Malawi
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nicaragua
  • Papua New Guinea
  • South Africa
  • Timor Leste (East Timor)
  • Turkmenistan
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

You should be aware that the COVID-19 risk rating for all countries is being kept under constant review and a country risk can change at short notice.

Prevention in Travellers

Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are not available solely for the purposes of travel, however you are encouraged to participate in the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme if you are eligible.

After you return home from travelling abroad, always seek medical advice if you develop a high temperature, telling them about your recent travel history.