UK puts Mexico on travel red list, what does that mean?

Passengers who are not British, Icelandic, or residents of any other country with rights of residence will be refused entry. For people returning from Red List countries, there are no exceptions for fully vaccinated travelers.

Thus, Mexico joins other Latin American countries that have been included in the red list, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador and Panama, according to a statement issued by the British Embassy in Mexico.

The UK will not apply the usual exemptions, including those for work and essential travel.

The diplomatic representation made it clear that Mexican students on UK study visas for periods of more than six months would be able to enter the country, but would have to stay in quarantine at a government-approved facility for 10 days.

Passengers can consult Latest travel advice From the Department of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Development (FCDO) and be prepared for longer wait times and more border controls.

Country and Territory risk assessments are conducted by the UK’s Joint Biosafety Center (JBC) which produces country and territory risk assessments. Decisions on red, amber or green list allocation and associated border measures are made by British ministers, who take into account JBC’s risk assessments, along with broader public health factors.

Key factors in the JBC risk assessment for each country include the country’s genetic surveillance capacity, COVID_19 transmission risk and trend, and the transmission risk variable of concern.