NEW DELHI: The UK said on Thursday it will begin accepting India’s vaccine certificates from October 11, ending a row that had resulted in British nationals facing a 10-day mandatory quarantine on arrival even if they are fully vaccinated.
New British guidelines on approved Covid-19 vaccines and the requisite proof of vaccination said India would be added to a “list of countries and territories with approved proof of vaccination [from] 4 am [on] Monday 11 October”.
British high commissioner Alex Ellis tweeted there would be “no quarantine” for Indian travellers who were fully vaccinated with Covishield or any other UK-approved vaccine, and thanked the Indian government for its close cooperation on the issue over the past month.
The move was in line with the comprehensive strategic partnership agreed to by the prime ministers of two countries in May, he said. Britain has issued thousands of visas to students, business travellers and tourists in recent months, Ellis added, while calling for further opening up of travel between the two sides.
Indians arriving in the UK before October 11 must follow the “rules for people who are not fully vaccinated”, according to the new guidelines. “If you arrive after that, you can use a vaccine certificate to prove your vaccination status,” a government notification said.
Once the British travel rules came into force on October 4, India imposed “reciprocal measures” that apply only to UK nationals arriving in India from Britain.
The measures kicked in as the UK government didn’t make a call on accepting India’s vaccine certification more than 10 days after the conclusion of technical discussions between the two sides.
The row erupted because Indians travelling to the UK had to undergo 10-day home quarantine under new rules. The British government’s failure to recognise Covishield, an Indian version of the Britain’s AstraZeneca jab, had also given rise to allegations of vaccine racism.
The UK subsequently included Covishield in its list of approved vaccines.
