US CDC urges citizens to avoid 'all travel' to India, even if they're fully vaccinated

In the wake of a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across India, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that travellers should avoid all travel to India. The CDC has also warned that even 'fully vaccinated' travellers are at the risk of contracting or spreading the variants of COVID-19 again. However, it stated that in case people need to travel to India, then they must get fully vaccinated. 

Pakistan bans travellers from India; UK places India on 'red list' 

On the other hand, Pakistan too has taken measures and decided to ban travellers from India for two weeks. These measures come after a record surge of COVID-19 cases in the country. Additionally, the United Kingdom has banned all travel from India by adding the country to the 'red list' on Monday. Moreover, it has also stated that a 10-day institutional quarantine will be compulsory for all home residents returning to the country. The decision was taken after the UK recorded 103 cases of the Indian COVID-19 variant. As per UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock, the 103 new cases were linked to international travel. The samples of the strain were analysed for any 'concerning characteristics'

"After studying the data, and on a precautionary basis, we've made the difficult but vital decision to add India to the red list. This means anyone who is not a UK or Irish citizen... cannot enter the UK if they have been in India in the previous 10 days," Hancock told British MPs. 

The COVID-19 situation in India has also led to the cancellation of UK PM Boris Johnson’s trip to India. The development was confirmed by Downing Street on Monday. In a joint statement, the British and the Indian governments said that due to the current situation, Boris Johnson will not be able to travel to India. Even so, the statement also added that PM Narendra Modi and Johnson will speak later this month to agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership between the two countries.

India logs 2,73,810 fresh cases

On Monday, India recorded 2,73,810 fresh cases thereby breaching the 1.50 crore mark of the total tally. Active cases in the country stand at 19,29,329 while 1,29,53,821 have recovered. The number of fatalities stands at 1,78,769, as per the Union Health Ministry's data. 

Image Credits: AP/PTI/UNSPLASH