India slaps back with 10 days quarantine rule for UK nationals

New Delhi: UK nationals travelling to India will have to undergo 10-day mandatory quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated under reciprocal measures to be enforced from October 4, marking an escalation in the vaccine certification row between the two countries.

"From October 4, all UK nationals arriving in India from the UK, irrespective of their vaccination status, will have to undertake three COVID-19 RT-PCR tests - within 72 hours before travel, on arrival at the airport, and on Day 8 after arrival, and mandatory quarantine at home or in the destination address for 10 days after arrival in India," sources said.

Described as discriminatory and even "colonialist", the UK government has faced intense backlash over its refusal to recognise visitors as vaccinated unless they received their shots in a handful of select countries.

Under travel rules unveiled last month, fully dosed arrivals from several nations are being allowed to enter England without quarantine starting October 4. But vaccinated people from vast swathes of the world still face tougher restrictions, including a 10-day home isolation period.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla called the rules "discriminatory" and warned that "reciprocal action" may be warranted.

The UK adjusted its policy to include the Covishield shot widely used in India as an approved vaccine, but India still isn't on the list of acceptable places to receive a dose. As a result, people who received Covishield in the UK count as vaccinated, while those who got it in India do not.

British officials told NDTV last week that the issue was not the vaccine itself but the issues with India's "vaccination certification" process and the two sides announced "progress" in recognising each other's certificates after high-level talks.

Dr RS Sharma, CEO of India's National Health Authority said certification after coronavirus vaccinations in India is a centralised national system managed through the CoWIN app and portal and there are "no issues" with the platform which is entirely compliant with World Health Organisation standards.

In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for the British High Commission reiterated its position saying, "The UK is continuing to work on expanding the policy to countries and territories across the globe in a phased approach. We are continuing to engage with the Government of India on technical cooperation to expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India."

"The UK is open to travel and we're already seeing a lot of people going from India to the UK, be it tourists, business people or students. Over 62,500 student visas have been issued in the year ending June 2021, which is an increase of almost 30% as compared to the previous year. We want to make the process of travelling as easy as possible," the statement said.