Ethiopia and Somalia have joined the long list of countries in England’s red list from where travel to England is banned.
With over 24 million vaccinations delivered in the UK so far, “the move will help to reduce the risk of new variants – such as those first identified in South Africa and Brazil – entering England”, according to a statement from the Department for Transport.
“Only British and Irish citizens or those with residence rights will be allowed to enter and must stay in a government-approved facility for 10 days,” it said.
African countries already on the list include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles and South Africa.
Mauritius will be removed from the list on Friday.
The travel bans will take come into force on Friday from 04:00 GMT.