- South African travelers have been banned from entering the UK for nearly eight months.
- The petition initiated by the London-based public relations firm aimed to remove South Africa from the “red list.”
- It has collected nearly 10,000 signatures, and the British government will soon need to respond to dissatisfaction.
- With 100,000 signatures, the issue of travel between South Africa and the United Kingdom will be considered for debate in Parliament.
- For more stories, please visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
A petition aimed at removing South Africa from the British “red list” is gaining momentum, with more than 9,000 signatures recorded in less than a week. Once 10,000 signatures are received, the British government must respond to the petition.
Travel between South Africa and the United Kingdom has been restricted for nearly eight months. After the discovery of the Covid-19 Beta variant in December 2020, the British government imposed rapid and strict restrictions on travelers from South Africa.Many countries have followed suit. By March, South African tourists The most restricted in the world.
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And, although many of these countries have begun to relax restrictions- Especially for travelers who are fully vaccinated – South Africa remains firmly on the “red list” of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom launched a “traffic light” system in May. According to the Covid-19 risk analysis, the system divides countries into green, amber, and red lists. These lists are updated monthly.
Travellers from countries on the green list can visit the UK freely without isolation. Fully vaccinated travelers from countries on the Amber List can also be exempted from mandatory quarantine. Travel from red-listed countries (such as South Africa and 59 other countries) is limited to returning residents and citizens who need to be quarantined for ten days in state-managed hotels.
These continued restrictions continue to have a devastating impact on South Africa’s already troubled tourism industry. Before the pandemic, the UK had been the largest source of overseas tourists.
But the traffic signal system in the UK is under attack, and many organizations question the scientific rationale behind these restrictions. The Southern Africa Travel Service Association (Satsa) is one such organization. It is committed to removing South Africa from the British red list and has hired a London-based public relations firm to lobby on its behalf.
“We have a responsibility to act quickly to provide decision-makers in the UK with data-driven scientific cases. This is something our competitor’s destination has been actively doing for months,” said Satsa CEO David Frost .
“Obviously, generating scientific reports for our own use and discussing this issue among us has little effect.”
Sassa hopes that lobbying efforts can see Travel between the UK and South Africa will return in October.
United Kingdom Constituency Support Petition
Part of its plan is Formal petition to the British governmentThe petition was created by Ben Cope of Eterna Partners on August 5 and has received more than 9,300 signatures as of Monday. Once the petition reaches the 10,000 mark, the British government must respond to the complaint. With 100,000 signatures, The petition is considered for debate in Parliament.
Only British citizens and British residents can initiate petitions. Unsurprisingly, most of the support comes from areas popular with South African immigrants.
According to a map tracking the number of signatures in constituencies, the largest support in the UK comes from residents of Wimbledon, Putney, Chelsea and Fulham, and Battersea.
Note: This article has been updated to reflect that the British government, not the British Petition Committee, must respond to the petition once it receives 10,000 signatures. Once the petition has 100,000 signatures, the subject will be considered for debate in Parliament.
(Compiled by Luke Daniel)
