In A Tit-For-Tat Move, India Tells Incoming UK Nationals To Undergo 10-Day Quarantine

In what is seen as a reciprocal move by the authorities on the Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the UK, India has decided that similar rules will be implied to the travellers coming from UK to India.?

Sources suggest that from October 4 the new rules will come into effect. They will be applicable to all UK nationals arriving from the UK.?

According to sources, from October 4 onwards, all UK nationals arriving in India from the UK, irrespective of their vaccination status, will have to undertake mandatory measures, such as carrying the report of pre-departure Covid-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before travel, and undergo Covid-19 RT-PCR test on arrival at any airport in India.?

India has also made it mandatory for the UK nationals to go for 10-day quarantine at home or at the destination after arrival in India.?

On the 8th day after their arrival, will have to take a second RT-PCR test.?

According to reports, the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Civil Aviation have been asked to strictly enforce the new measures and adequate arrangements must be made at all international airports for this purpose.?

?Before issuing these mandatory Covid-19 restrictions for travellers from the UK, India had given a warning to UK authorities that it would be well within its rights to initiate reciprocal measures if the UK does not ease the new travel rules relating to Covid-19 vaccine certification for Indian nationals.T

The current row started when the UK government placed Indians, vaccinated with Covishield, in the category of "unvaccinated" and prescribed testing and quarantine measures but after India hinted that this might be reciprocated, the UK accepted Covishield but did not change the testing and quarantine rules.?

In August, the UK announced 10-day mandatory quarantine for travellers arriving from India as it does not recognise the CoWin vaccination certificate. Indian authorities expressed their anguish against the decision. According to reports, while the decision was initially attributed to the exclusion of Covishield from the list of recognised vaccines in the UK, it was later clarified that the British authorities are concerned over the vaccine certification system in India.

With inputs from IANS