UK responds to India’s ‘Tit-for-tat’ move: Countries on vaccine eligibility list under ‘constant review’

Worldwide

oi-Madhuri Adnal

London, Oct 01: The international locations which are included on the UK’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility record for worldwide journey are stored below “fixed assessment”, British authorities sources stated right here on Friday, within the backdrop of India taking reciprocal motion in opposition to the UK”s new worldwide journey norms that don’t recognise Indian vaccine certification.

The British authorities is but to formally reply to India’s reported plans to impose quarantine restrictions on vaccinated British travellers from Monday, in a retaliatory transfer in opposition to India not being recognised on an inventory of 18 vaccine-eligible international locations.

The transfer follows weeks of talks between officers from the British Excessive Fee and the Ministry of Well being in New Delhi to agree on a vaccine certification system, following India-made Covishield being added to the UK”s record of authorized vaccine formulations.

“The record of nations is stored below fixed assessment and we do hope so as to add extra international locations, however there is no such thing as a timeframe for that,” an official supply stated.

Final month, the UK stated that COVID-19 vaccine certification from all international locations should meet a “minimal standards” and that it’s working with India on a “phased method” to its worldwide journey norms.

“Our high precedence stays defending public well being, and reopening journey in a protected and sustainable method, which is why vaccine certification from all international locations should meet the minimal standards making an allowance for public well being and wider concerns. We proceed to work with worldwide companions, together with India, to roll out our phased method,” a authorities spokesperson stated on the time.

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On Friday, the UK authorities would solely say that its assertion from final month continues to be the most recent associated to worldwide journey norms.

Vaccine certification concern: India decides to impose reciprocity, makes 10-day quarantine should for UK residents

Travellers who are usually not totally vaccinated, or vaccinated in a rustic similar to India at present not on the UK authorities’s recognised record, should take a pre-departure take a look at, pay for day two and day eight PCR checks after arrival in England and self-isolate for 10 days, with an choice to “take a look at to launch” after 5 days following a damaging PCR take a look at.

The 18 international locations at present on the UK authorities’s authorized inbound vaccinations record apart from the US and Europe embody: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

From Monday, England”s site visitors mild system of crimson, amber and inexperienced international locations primarily based on ranges of COVID-19 danger is to be formally scrapped. Nonetheless, regardless of Covishield recognised inside the UK’s eligible vaccine formulations, it could not supply any benefit to Covishield-vaccinated Indian travellers planning a UK go to.

The Indian authorities had expressed its sturdy condemnation of such a transfer and warned of “reciprocal measures” if vaccinated travellers from India continued to be handled in a “discriminatory” method.