India drops mandatory 10-day quarantine for UK nationals
What's the story
India has withdrawn its tit-for-tat move requiring all British nationals to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival irrespective of their vaccination status. The Union Health Ministry has written to all states and union territories notifying the change. This marks an end to the weeks-long controversy between the two countries over COVID-19 quarantine rules for fully vaccinated people. Here's more on this.
Quote
Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal writes to states, UTs
"Based on the evolving scenario, it has been decided that the revised guidelines...stand withdrawn and the earlier guidelines on international arrival dated 17th February 2021 shall be applicable to all travelers arriving in India from the United Kingdom," Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal wrote. Vaccinated people coming from the UK will now only require a negative RT-PCR test report and a self-declaration form.
Row
Row began after UK imposed quarantine rule for Indians
The row over quarantine rules began after the UK said it would require Indians fully vaccinated with Covishield to undergo mandatory quarantine. Covishield is a version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, developed and used in the UK. After India's objection, the UK listed Covishield as an approved vaccine. However, the mandatory quarantine rule was still kept with British officials raising issues with India's vaccination certificate.
Developments
India had imposed similar curbs for British travelers
Thereafter, in a reciprocal move, India had imposed similar restrictions for British travelers. All UK nationals coming into India were asked to follow mandatory 10-day quarantine irrespective of their vaccination status. India's new rule came into force the same day the British government's restrictions came into effect. A few days ago, the UK reversed its controversial decision, prompting India to respond similarly.
Impact
Indian travelers, students had suffered due to UK's rule
Many Indian travelers, especially students, had faced great difficulty due to the UK's mandatory quarantine rule, which stayed in effect for a week between October 4 and October 11. Announcing the UK's reverse move earlier this month, British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis had said, "It will be easier and cheaper to enter the UK. This is great news."