India makes COVID-19 tests, quarantine mandatory for all Brits

• India called Britain’s decision not to recognize Indian version of AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield, “discriminatory”.
• Vaccinated UK nationals arriving in India will be subjected to a 10-day mandatory quarantine.
• Starting on Monday, all UK arrivals will have to present a negative COVID-19 test taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure.

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In apparent tit-for-tat, India’s Foreign Ministry officials today announced that all UK nationals, including fully vaccinated ones, will be subjected to a 10-day mandatory quarantine upon their arrival in India.

The new requirement seems to be introduced in response to similar measures imposed on Indian nationals by the UK.

The new policy announcement comes after India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla called Britain’s decision not to recognize the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield, “discriminatory”.

The minister had warned of reciprocal measures should London fail to reconsider.

Starting on Monday, all British arrivals – irrespective of their vaccination status – will have to present a negative COVID-19 test taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure, undergo a second test on arrival and a third eight days later.

A mandatory quarantine period of 10 days will also be enforced, according to a foreign ministry official.

The British government announced last month it would allow fully vaccinated travelers to skip quarantine and take fewer tests, but only recognized vaccination under the American, British or European programs or those authorized by an approved health body.

More than a dozen countries in Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East made it to the list, but India’s program was not included. Also, no African program was accepted.

The vast majority of Indians have been vaccinated with Indian-made AstraZeneca shots, which has been produced by Serum Institute of India. Others have received COVAXIN, a vaccine produced by an Indian company that is not used in Britain.

Britain’s refusal to accept certain vaccine certificates has led to concerns that it could exacerbate vaccine hesitancy.

Countries that received hundreds of thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the British government were left wondering why their vaccination programs were not good enough in the eyes of its provider.