New Delhi India can take “reciprocal measures” if UK Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday said a policy change does not require Indian nationals to undergo mandatory quarantine even if they have been fully vaccinated with the Kovidshield vaccine.
Terming it a “discriminatory policy”, Shringla said the rules would affect Indians wishing to travel to the UK. The new rules were unveiled last week and are set to take effect in October.
As per the rules, Indians traveling to the UK will have to quarantine themselves for 10 days and undergo a test for COVID-19, even if they have been fully vaccinated. coveshield, which is developed under license by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, and is a version of the vaccine developed in the UK by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. This decision of Britain has caused anger in India.
Britain and Scotland are expected to ease pandemic restrictions from early October, according to news reports. However, India is not included in the list of countries with approved vaccines.
“Here is a vaccine, Covishield, which is a licensed product of a UK company manufactured in India, of which we have supplied 5 million doses to the UK at the request of the UK government. We understand that this has been used in the national health system and, therefore, the non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminatory policy,” Shringla said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar discussed the matter with his British counterpart Liz Truss on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Shringla said. Jaishankar is in the US ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
About the talks between Jaishankar and the truss, Shringla said, “I am told that some assurances have been given that the issue will be resolved.”
“We have also offered the option of mutual recognition of vaccine certification to some of our partner countries. However, these are reciprocal measures. I think if we go ahead we will have to see how it goes but if we do not get satisfaction, we will be within our rights to implement reciprocal measures,” Shringla said.
A large number of people in India have been vaccinated against Kovidshield. Others have received indigenously developed Covaxin supplements, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and awaiting approval by the World Health Organization.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said India may resume export and donation of surplus COVID-19 vaccines in October after a gap of several months.
Meanwhile, the US has said it will open up travelers to “fully immunization” from November, according to a report. new York Times. The paper quoted White House pandemic coordinator Jeff Ziants as saying that international travel was “key to connecting families and friends, promoting small and large businesses, and the open exchange of ideas and culture”.
Shringla said the US relaxing travel norms for Indian students and professionals is “positive news”.
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