With ¡®Mumbai And Delhi Practically Covid-Free' Now, India asks UK To Review Travel Ban
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the UK Foreign Office officials have been briefed on the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in India. India remains on the travel red list which effectively bans visitors from India with returning citizens required to undergo a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine.
Over the last few weeks, Delhi and Maharashtra have witnessed a sharp decline in daily COVID cases and deaths.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the UK Foreign Office officials have been briefed on the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in India, where many big cities are practically COVID-free, and encouraged to consider a review of the travel ban on visitors from India.
"Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of COVID. But we can't rest on that situation because we are constantly vigilant, telling our citizens to take precautions so that we don't have a third wave, said Shringla. I briefed them [UK officials] on the COVID situation in India. I pointed out that France had cleared visitors from India without quarantine, if they are double vaccinated and have a negative test. The US has upgraded India in the travel scheme, encouraged the UK to do the same and they took note of it," he said, in response to a question on international travel.
Reuters
Indian on travel red list
Under the current rules, India remains on the travel red list which effectively bans visitors from India, with returning citizens required to undergo a compulsory 10-day hotel quarantine on entry to Britain.
With reference to instances of the India-made Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, not being recognised by the European Union (EU), the Foreign Secretary reiterated that AstraZeneca had applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on behalf of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in a letter dated May 14.
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It's an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured under a transfer of technology in India so there can't be any difference in product between that produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) or anywhere else, said Shringla.
"The EU has said they will leave it to individual member states to decide and 14 EU countries have already recognised Covishield, two of them have also recognised Covaxin suo moto. We are now asking all countries that you recognise our vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis, recognising the integrity of that process," he said.
