England eases COVID-19 rules for international travelers, adds Pakistan to safe list

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 comes in to land at Heathrow airport in west London on June 8, 2020. (AFP/File)

• British transport minister says his country will simply rank countries as low or high risk and scrap its traffic light system
• Pakistani travelers returning to England will not have to quarantine as they are removed from the COVID-19 red list for travel

LONDON: England set out measures to boost international travel on Friday, abandoning expensive COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers, scrapping its traffic light system and adding eight countries to its safe list.
Travelers returning to England from Turkey, Pakistan, and the Maldives will not have to quarantine on their return as they are removed from the so-called COVID red list for travel, British transport minister Grant Shapps said.
Shapps also said under the new proposals destinations will simply be ranked low or high risk, instead of red, amber and green.
"We’re making testing easier for travel," he said on Twitter.