No quarantine for Covishield vaccinated Indians travelling to UK from Oct 11
Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Oct, 2021 12:05 PM
New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield or any other UK-approved vaccine travelling to the UK will not have to undergo quarantine from Monday (October 11), British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, said on Thursday.
Ellis tweeted, "No quarantine for Indian travellers to United Kingdom fully vaccinated with Covishield or other UK-approved vaccine from October 11. Thanks to Indian government for close cooperation over last month."
The UK travel advisory had made 10-day quarantine mandatory for Indian travellers, who have received both doses of Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).
However, after facing criticism for different quarters, the UK travel advisory has accommodated Covishield as an approved vaccine in the UK.
The new travel advisory that was implemented on October 4 said, "Formulations of the listed vaccines -- Astra Zeneca Covishield, Astra Zeneca Vaxzevira and Moderna Takeda -- qualify as approved vaccines."
In response to the UK quarantine rules for Indians, India also imposed a 10-day mandatory quarantine for UK nationals arriving in India from October 4 onwards.
The move came as a reciprocity of the UK's decision that people vaccinated with Covishield in India will have to meet the strict mandatory quarantine rules while visiting the UK.
"The measures announced today mark the next step as we continue to open up travel and provide stability for passengers and industry while remaining on track to keep travel open for good," Britain's Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, tweeted.
The British High Commissioner to India also thanked the Indian government for cooperation over last month. As the UK has now eased the travel restrictions for vaccinated Indians to the UK, India may also take steps to reciprocate and ease the present restrictions imposed on UK travellers to India.
Scotching speculation to the contrary, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday made it clear he was not joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but had no intention of continuing in the Congress either, which he said was going downhill with senior leaders completely ignored and not given a voice.
The meeting lasted for over two hours and the issues raised by Sidhu will be put before the Cabinet on October 4, sources in the party said.After the meeting at Punjab Bhavan, where AICC observer Harish Chaudhary was also present, both Channi and Sidhu left the meeting venue without talking to the media.
Hundreds of environmental activists had marched from the ITO Metro station to Delhi Secretariat on September 24 to mark the 'Global Climate Strike' week and learn of the status of their list of demands presented to the Delhi government on March 19.
What everyone believes at Ekal Vidyalaya is that “change is possible and education can be the medium to bring the change in the life of the last man in the last row in the remotest parts of India.”
Amid the turmoil within the ruling Congress party and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal's visit to Punjab, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday announced to waive pending electricity bills of 55 lakh defaulters, covering 80 per cent of the total consumers.
Sidhu resigned much to the dismay of the Congress party and on the day when the party was going gaga over the joining of Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani.
