Thailand has been added to England’s red list, effective 4 a.m. today (UK time).

This latest development means that anyone who has been in Thailand in the 10 days prior to arrival in England will only be allowed to enter the country if they are a British or Irish national, or have residence rights in the UK.

Those who are permitted to enter the UK will also need to stay in and pay for a quarantine hotel for 10 days, taking two COVID-19 tests during their time in isolation.

As of press time, the change only applies to England. Confusingly for travellers, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are able to set their own restrictions.

The red list applies to the whole of Thailand, including the popular tourist destinations of Phuket and Koh Samui, etc.

Those who have travelled to Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox or Samui Plus initiative to boost the Kingdom’s tourism industry will need to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days if they arrive back in England after 4 a.m. today (UK time).

The new rules apply to those who have been fully vaccinated, as well as to those who are not.

On Thursday, the UK Government reported that while 77.7% of the population aged 16+ has been fully vaccinated and 88.1% have received their first jab, there were still 38,281 new cases and 140 more deaths.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the UK has recorded a total of 6,659,788 COVID-19 cases and 132,463 deaths since the pandemic began (up to 05:21 Thailand time on 27 August).

Thailand reported 18,702 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, up slightly from 18,501 on Thursday and bringing the overall total nationwide to 1,139,571. The country also reported 273 more deaths, bringing that sad tally to 10,587.

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