No UK or US tourists: Here is South Africa’s full red list of countries

Source: Business Insider SA, 30/09/2020

• Here is South Africa`s red list for travel.* This
article has been updated throughout with the latest available
information announced at a press conference. While Brazil was
initially omitted from the list during a briefing on Wednesday,
government later confirmed that it was a high-risk country. A
written â€` but apparently not yet formally in force â€` red list
of countries was published later on Wednesday night.
South Africa will use its own level of coronavirus risk to
determine what countries are considered high, medium, or low
risk, international relations minister Naledi Pandor announced
on Wednesday at a press conference on new travel measures.
Those with significantly higher levels of infection spread and
deaths than South Africa will be rated as high risk â€` and
leisure travellers from those countries will not be permitted
entry into South Africa.
The only exceptions will be those with high-skills visas,
diplomats, sports people, and investors.
“We’ve agreed that we will gradually open our borders and ports
of entry of international travellers, primarily in the first
instance for business and some leisure travellers,` Pandor said
â€` strongly stressing that it will be `some` leisure travellers
â€` `and other aspects of travel such as investors coming into
South Africa [and] sea crews that need to spend a short time,
having docked in our ports. So we still are in a restricted
domain, but we are gradually opening up.`
The list of countries currently considered high risk, and from
which ordinary tourists are not allowed is, in full:
• Albania
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Austria
• Bahrain
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Chile
• Columbia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Ecuador
• France
• Georgia
• Greece
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ireland
• Israel
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Luxembourg
• Maldives
• Malta
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• Oman
• Palestine
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Qatar
• Romania
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Suriname
• Switzerland
• Ukraine
• United Emirates
• United Kingdom
• USA
• Venezuela
(After initial confusion, this list was finally published as
part of a speech on Wednesday night. It was not immediately
available on the website of the department of home affairs
where, according to gazetted regulations, the definitive red
list is due to be found from time to time.)
This is what that list looks like when translated to a map:
All countries on the African continent automatically fall
outside the high-risk category, ministers said, so tourists
will be allowed to travel to and from those countries
regardless of their SARS-CoV-2 statistics.
`If the passport of the traveller from a high risk country
indicates that he/she has spent 10 days or more in a low risk
country before departure, he/she will be considered to be
arriving from a low risk country,` one government statement
said.
The list will be reviewed every two weeks, Pandor said, based
on seven days worth of data.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the reopening of South
Africa`s borders for leisure travellers in mid-September, and
immediately cautioned that there may be restrictions for travel
to and from some countries, `based on the latest scientific
data we can get on those countries`.
There had been no indication from the government in the
intervening two weeks as to what metrics would be used
All travellers, including those from elsewhere in Africa, will
be required to present a negative test result for the
coronavirus that is less than 72 hours old, or face quarantine.
Airlines will also be required to ensure that travellers to
South Africa have travel insurance before boarding, Pandor
said.
Several airlines expect to resume flights to South Africa,
including from countries with high and rising rates of
infection
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