On Friday, India imposed a tit-for-tat reciprocal quarantine regulation on any citizens of UK nationality entering the country, with effect from October 4th onwards.
As per the reported ANI news agency, irrespective of their vaccine status, all UK nationals entering India will be asked to undertake an RC- PCR test 72 hours before their departure and will have to take an RTPCR test on the 8th day after arrival.
Apart from these rules, the UK traveller to India exercises a 10-day mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Sources state that the newly announced Indian restrictions will not affect Non-residential Indians living in the United Kingdom. Still, PIOs and OCI cardholders may have to go through similar screening to possess UK citizenship.
Following this announcement, Covishied vaccine by the serum institute of India has been recogonised by the UK authorities, which were earlier last month considered “unvaccinated” despite being bioequivalent of Vaxzervia l – the UK Astra Zeneca used to inoculate the majority of the UK population.
As of Friday, British sources have reportedly moved India from the “red” to “Amber” list and declared reopening visas for Indian tourists. But the ten days compulsory quarantine rule is still in place.
Travel Agencies Praise The Government
Looking forward to the effective restrictions, many Indian travel agencies have praised the government’s decision stating that they are “fed up with the racist and discriminatory behaviour of the west “.
Even though the impact on commercial travel with overseas travellers, many travel agencies throughout India have insisted on tit-for-tat conditions to bring more clarity on UK vaccine acceptance and health protocols.
According to industry sources, when talking about discrimination by the UK, Indian travel agencies say that Indians are the top spenders abroad and the UK, be it incoming travel or outgoing. The Indian government had done the right thing imposing strict regulations.
Further Changes
India’s decision to impose reciprocity on the UK reflects the growing agitation over vaccine certifications for travellers. It aims to pressure the latter to act on a resolution over the restrictions.
Following India’s announcement, the British high commission on Sunday responded, saying they will be working with the government of India to make the travel process to the United Kingdom as convenient as possible for Indian travellers.
The commission also announced that they will be scraping the traffic light system very soon and will release a list of countries clearly in the “red” zone. Countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and South Africa remain on the UK’s red list, but the green and amber lists will be removed and replaced by a single list of low risk and high-risk countries separately.
Updated Travel Advisory
As per the updated travel advisory by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), as of 4 am on October 4th, everyone travelling to the UK can be vaccinated with two dosages of the Covishied vaccine and should hold a recognized government-issued vaccine certificate.
Only then, upon arrival, they are eligible for a day 2 test with a cheaper lateral flow test, which reduces the cost of the test. Any Indian traveller testing positive upon arrival will be asked to self-isolate and take a PCR confirmatory test. As of Monday, a 10-day of quarantine is mandatory for all travellers.
