La Jornada – UK closes door on Sunday to travelers from Mexico due to rebound in Covid

Given the recovery of Covid-19 infections in Mexico, which has reached more than 20,000 infected in the past 24 hours, the United Kingdom has included the country in the red list of countries at risk for entering its territory, a decision that was considered “regrettable” by entrepreneurs in the country. the field of tourism.

The measure indicates that those who are not British citizens or residents will not be able to enter the territory of that country from Mexico from next Sunday.

After assessing the latest data on the evolution of the pandemic, Mexico, Georgia, the African islands and the French departments of La Reunion and Mayotte will be added to the red list from August 8, the British government said through your embassy in Mexico.

These countries “pose a significant public health risk in the UK due to the known high-risk variants being investigated or as a result of the extremely high prevalence of Covid-19 in their territory.”

According to an announcement on social media, the British Embassy stated that from 4am on Sunday 8 August, people without British citizenship or residency will not be able to enter the UK from Mexico, while those without British citizenship or residency: People with British citizenship or residency (including visas longer than six months) must self-quarantine.

Prior to the announcement, Mexico was in the amber category and was considered the nation with the lowest health risks.

The World Travel and Tourism Council said the British government’s decision to add Mexico to the international travel red list will have an impact on the tourism sector, as airlines will reduce their ability to fly to our country and it will take months to reverse this situation. (WTTC).

“We are very sorry about this situation, unfortunately it is not clear when it will change again,” said Virginia Messina, Vice President of the World Trade Center. “I hope this will not set a precedent, but it will have an impact,” he said, noting that the UK is the third country from which the largest number of visitors come to Mexico.

He explained that nearly 6,000 Britons are in Mexico at this time, and in light of the new measures, they will try to return immediately, as the mandatory quarantine comes into effect on Sunday.