delete The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) (Amendment) (No. 24) Regulations 2021
These Regulations amended the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 by removing all countries from Schedule 3 (Category 3 countries/territories) and removing eleven African nations from Schedule 13. They took effect at 4am on 15 December 2021, with savings provisions for those who arrived before commencement.
COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed massive economic harm on aviation, tourism, and hospitality sectors while providing minimal public health benefit - variants were already spreading globally by the time country-specific bans were imposed. These regulations represent the kind of punitive, blunt-instrument intervention that distorts markets without achieving their stated goal. Less restrictive alternatives (testing, vaccination verification) could address health concerns without effectively banning travel from specific nations. Post-Brexit Britain should restore free movement principles and reject the EU-derived bureaucratic approach to mobility.