COVID-19: UK bans flights from Qatar from 19 March 2021
This is very bad news for anyone travelling from Australia via Qatar back to the United Kingdom – most likely on Qatar Airlines.
From 4 am on 19 March, direct flights from Qatar to England are prohibited. Visitors who have been in or transited through Qatar in the previous 10 days cannot enter England. British and Irish nationals and third country nationals with residence rights in the UK arriving in England from Qatar will be required to quarantine in a hotel.
From Gov.UK accessed 08:17, 17 March 2021 (my emphasis)
It applies to anyone arriving from Qatar – even if you are just transiting.
On arrival in the UK, you will also need to quarantine in a government facility for 10 days if you have been in any ‘Red List‘ travel ban country in the last 10 days. That ‘Red List‘ now includes Qatar.
Countries on the ‘Red List’
The ‘Red List’ is based on the perceived risk of importing more virulent versions of the COVID-19 virus into the (dis-) United Kingdom.
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia (from 4am Friday 19 March)
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius (removed from 4am Friday 19 March)
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Oman (from 4am Friday 19 March)
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) (removed from 4am Friday 19 March)
- Qatar (from 4am Friday 19 March)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia (from 4am Friday 19 March)
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
The ban is on passengers entering the UK, so flights carrying cargo are still allowed, and notionally, you could catch a Qatar Airlines flight out of the UK to Qatar. Emirates have done something similar, given that the UAE is also on the Red List.
2PAXfly Takeout
This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.
The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.
We have British/Australian mates about to return to the UK in April. I hope things have calmed down by then.
The UK has pursued an amazingly inconsistent policy on prevention and travel in the COVID-19 era, that I just don’t trust their logic. This move might cause a stampede of returning passengers in the next few days to avoid the ban. I’m not sure that is the way to manage the entry of nasty strains of the virus into the UK.
As well as disrupting people’s travel plans, this will have a major impact on Qatar Airlines, who have bravely continued their international services throughout the pandemic and happen to be my favourite airline.
If you are caught up in this – you might want to explore flights on Thai Airways that has just tweeted that they are flying each Sunday in March for THB87,735 (AU$3,680) in Business and THB15,765 (AU$662) Economy all-inclusive one-way.
What did you say?