UK eases travel restrictions for India

The UK on Sunday eased travel restrictions for India by moving the country from its red to amber list which means fully vaccinated Indian passengers will no longer be subjected to a compulsory 10day hotel quarantine on their arrival in BritainThe Department of Health and Social Care DHSC has confirmed that all arrivals from India who have been vaccinated in India which is on the amber list as at 4 am local time on Sunday are required to isolate at home or their designated location mentioned on the compulsory locator formWhile the requirement for a compulsory 10day selfisolation in a governmentapproved facility at an additional cost of 1750 pounds per head will no longer apply only travellers vaccinated in the UK or Europe would qualify for an exemption of the home quarantine requirementWe recognise there are a large variety of Covid19 vaccines being administered worldwide and work is ongoing to determine which nonUK vaccines and certification solutions to recognise a DHSC source said There had been some speculation over Covishield the Serum Institute of India made OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine being considered within the wider UKapproved vaccines ambitHowever the government has clarified that the Indiamade version of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine so far approved by the UKs Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA is branded as Vaxzevria and that is the only one currently recognised under the exemption rulesUnder the legal rules for countries on the amber list of the UKs traffic light system passengers must take a Covid test three days before departure and book in advance for two Covid tests to be taken upon arrival in England as well as complete a passenger locator form on arrivalOn arrival in England the passengers must quarantine at home or in the place they have confirmed as their location for 10 days and take a Covid19 test on or before day two and on or after day eightUnder18s and those fully vaccinated in the UK are exempt from the home quarantine as well as those who have received both jabs in the EU and USAlso exempt are those fully vaccinated in the UK or under the UK vaccine programme overseas under 18 on the day you arrive in England and resident in the UK or in a country with a vaccination programme approved by the UK and part of a UKapproved vaccine trialAll regularly scheduled international flights remain suspended However under a bilateral agreement between the UK and Indian governments a limited number of flights between India and the UK continue to operateAirlines have reported a massive surge in bookings soon after the announcement of India moving off the Red List was made on Wednesday a move overwhelmingly welcomed by the Indian diaspora in the UK hoping for India visits during the ongoing summer break in the countryIndia has been on the Red List since endApril when the Delta variant was at its peak which meant an effective ban on travel except for returning British residents who had to selfisolate in a governmentsanctioned hotel at a considerable additional expenseThe update of the travel list this week came alongside an announcement that the cost for solo travellers from destinations still on the Red List staying at a quarantine hotel will go up from August 12 from 1750 pounds to 2285 pounds The charge for an additional adult sharing a room will increase from 650 pounds to 1430 pounds According to the government this is to better reflect the increased costs involvedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever