On Tuesday (14 December), health secretary Sajid Javid announced that all 11 countries on the red list would be removed at 4am Wednesday (15 December).

Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu said when South Africa was added to the red list last month, the implementation of hotel quarantine – instead of at-home quarantine – was a "huge deterrent" for Brits and came at a time when the country’s tourism industry was just beginning to recover.

"The Omicron variant is something we continue to take very seriously, and our scientists are closely monitoring its trajectory to contain the virus and ensure the appropriate robust safety measures are in place," said Sisilu.

"South African borders remain open, and our government and tourism industry have been working extremely hard to implement safety regulations to ensure that we are ready for all inbound visitors."

Sisilu added: “We appreciate all the hard work and dedication of all our tourism stakeholders. Our lobbying efforts are yielding results and today we see the country has been removed from the red list. We hope to welcome British travellers again very soon.”