India lifts COVID curbs on UK travellers days after Britain eases guidelines

India has withdrawn a travel advisory that mandated quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers from the United Kingdom (UK), reciprocating the British government’s decision to discontinue mandatory testing and quarantine norms for travellers from India vaccinated with Covishield.

In an official memorandum issued on October 11, the health ministry said travel from the UK will again be subject to guidelines on international arrival issued on February 17, which require airlines to ensure negative RT-PCR before allowing passengers to board in case of those coming from the UK.

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On their arrival in India, the UK passengers need to be in home quarantine for 7 days and get re-tested in case of negative results.

In case of a positive result, they need to be isolated and treated.

On October 1, India mandated a 10-day quarantine for British nationals arriving in India, irrespective of their vaccination status, amid the UK’s refusal to relax quarantine rules for Indian travellers vaccinated with two doses of Covishield.

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The UK recognised Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India but retained the 10-day quarantine period for fully vaccinated travellers from India. British officials said the UK was not convinced with India’s vaccine certification process and had no issues with the Covishield vaccine. India argued that UK’s ‘discriminatory’ decision to to not recognise Covishield made no sense as the vaccine was developed in that country as a collaboration between Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

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The UK government’s quarantine mandate for vaccinated Indians turned into a diplomatic row between the two countries. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up the issue with newly-appointed British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a meeting in New York on September 21.

On October 7, the British High Commissioner to India said Indians fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with Covishield or any other vaccine approved in the United Kingdom (UK) will not have to quarantine upon arrival from October 11.