When the UK government announced plans to reinstate the travel red list in November, there was something that was clear to many.

The countries featured on the list included Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Nigeria and five other African countries – something which sparked concern across the African diaspora in the UK as they questioned why these particular countries were singled-out and “red-listed” due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

“While I understand that the British government’s priority is to contain the virus and slow the spread, the decision needs to be backed with factual data and be fair across the board,” says Alexandriah Sho-Silva.

Sho-Silva is of Nigerian descent and often travels to Lagos for Christmas and new year’s. “My family live in Lagos, Nigeria, and I go out there or they come here for a few weeks.”

Red list: 2 women share how their Christmas has been ruined by changing travel rules