UK bans flights from South Africa until further notice
The United Kingdom has temporarily banned flights from South Africa and its surroundings as part of a safety measure.
They also announced that they would refuse entry to South Africans and others who had been in the southern African region in the previous 10 days, as a safety measure.
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It simultaneously declared the B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant – due to be given a name by the World Health Organisation during the course of Friday – to be a Variant under Investigation.
EXPLANATION GIVEN AS TO WHY FLIGHTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA HAVE BEEN BANNED
“No cases have been identified in the UK,” the government said in a statement. “We are taking these precautionary measures to protect public health. The progress we’ve made so far through our successful vaccination program.”

Six countries are now on the UK’s red list for travel, as of Friday:
South Africa
Botswana
Lesotho
Eswatini
Zimbabwe
Namibia
For those countries, both commercial and private planes carrying passengers have been banned from midday (on Friday) until the early hours of Sunday morning, while the UK scrambles to set up quarantine. Once that ban lifts, though, South Africans will still not be welcome.
“From midday on Friday 26 November, non-UK and Irish residents who have been in these countries in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England,” said the UK government. “This does not apply to those who have stayed airside. Only transited through any of these countries while changing flights.”
After the weekend, Irish and UK residents who can make it to the UK border from southern Africa will be required to quarantine.
In “in a government-approved facility” for 10 days, with coronavirus tests on days two and eight. Those who manage to make it into the country before next week. So before those hotel isolation facilities are set up – will be told they must self-isolate at home, with PCR tests on days two and eight. (Previously, residents needed to take only the cheaper and easier lateral flow test on day two after arrival.)