London’s Heathrow Airport has confirmed the plans to use its Terminals 3 and 4 as dedicated facilities for passengers arriving on flights from destinations on the government’s ’Red List’.
Terminal 3 has not been in operation from April 2020 following the onset of COVID-19. This was follows shortly by Terminal 4, and in December 2020, the airport confirmed that T4 would stay shut until at least the end of 2021, as a result of ‘a continued decline in passengers’.
The new facility will open on 1st June 2021 at Terminal 3, before moving to Terminal 4 as soon as operationally possible.
Presently, all the passengers coming from ‘Red List’ destinations must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 10 days, as well as take COVID-19 tests on Day 2 and Day 8.
A Heathrow spokesperson, in a statement to Business Traveller, said:
Red list routes will likely be a feature of UK travel for the foreseeable future as countries vaccinate their populations at different rates. We’re adapting Heathrow to this longer-term reality by initially opening a dedicated arrivals facility in Terminal 3 from June 1st for red list passengers arriving on direct flights. We will move this facility to Terminal 4 as soon as operationally possible. While opening this facility will be logistically very challenging, our hope is that it will enable Border Force to carry out its duties more efficiently as passenger volumes increase in line with the green list. Until then, the current red list system will remain in place. This system has been designed by the Government and has several layers of protection to keep passengers and colleagues safe – including mandatory negative Covid tests for all international arrivals, mandatory use of face coverings, social distancing, segregation and enhanced cleaning regimes and ventilation in immigration halls.
Meanwhile, United Kingdom government has also announced a new ‘Green List’ that presently includes 12 countries. Passengers arriving from Green list countries do not require to quarantine on arrival.
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