A total of 47 destinations will be removed from the UK travel red-list on Monday, 11 October.

Destinations being removed include South Africa, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed this afternoon on Twitter.

Just seven countries and territories will remain on the red list, he said.

The countries that remain on the red list are Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

Mr Shapps has also confirmed today that when Day 2 PCR test are swapped for cheaper lateral flow tests later this month, passengers will be able to send a picture of their LFT to verify the test result, rather than being obliged to have a video consultation with a test provider.

He said it is the Government’s ambition to switch to LFTs by the time families return from half-term breaks at the end of October.

From next Monday, the UK will allow fully vaccinated arrivals from 37 more countries and territories to skip self-isolation and day 8 tests. These include India, Turkey and Ghana.

Mr Shapps tweeted: “The measures announced today mark the next step to open up travel and provide stability for passengers and industry while remaining on track to keep travel open for good.”

In a statement he added: “With half-term and winter sun around the corner, we’re making it easier for families and loved ones to reunite, by significantly cutting the number of destinations on the red list, thanks in part to the increased vaccination efforts around the globe.

“Restoring people’s confidence in travel is key to rebuilding our economy and levelling up this country. With less restrictions and more people traveling, we can all continue to move safely forward together along our pathway to recovery.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Our robust border measures have helped protect the phenomenal progress of our vaccination programme, and it is because of this success both here and around the world that we can safely open up travel further and we can visit friends and family abroad.

“We’re now making it easier and cheaper for people to travel by allowing fully vaccinated travellers from non-red list countries to use Lateral Flow Tests on Day 2 of arrival, as long as they provide proof of use.”