Heathrow Airport opens dedicated terminal ‘red list’ arrivals terminal

The United Kingdom’s biggest airports has opened up a dedicated hub to process arrivals coming from red list nations

This month, Heathrow Airport reopened Terminal 4, using the hub as a dedicated facility for processing passengers arriving from red list countries.

The airport stated that the measure would keep those arriving from destinations on the high-risk list away from other travellers, reducing the risk of exposure to COVID.

The red list has been resurrected with 10 countries in southern Africa put on it on 26 November due to concerns surrounding the new Omicron coronavirus variant, believed to have originated in South Africa.

People entering Britain from those locations must spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel

The cost to pay for hotel quarantine is estimated at £2,285 for per passenger.

Heathrow first opened a facility for red list arrivals at Terminal 3 in June following concerns that allowing passengers to mix with those who had flown in from other locations could increase the spread of the virus, and drive up cases in the country.

It was later switched to Terminal 4, however programme was closed in early November following the removal of the final seven countries on the list.

Tougher travel rules introduced by the government include requiring fully vaccinated people entering the UK to self-isolate until they receive a negative result from a PCR test.