The United Kingdom will next week remove the last seven countries on its COVID-19 "red list", which requires travelers arriving from those destinations to spend 10 days in hotel quarantine, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Thursday.

The seven countries which will be removed from the list from Nov. 1 are Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.

Shapps however noted that the red list will remain in place should the government need to add countries.

"We will keep the red list category Red circle in place as a precautionary measure to protect public health and are prepared to add countries and territories back if needed, as the UK's first line of defense," he said.

The transport minister added: "We can also confirm that from Monday, eligible travelers from over 30 new countries and territories Globe with meridians including Peru and Uganda will be added to our inbound vax policy, bringing the total number of countries on this list to over 135."

(With input from agencies)