MEA meets UK FS; calls for resolution of ‘quarantine issue' amid outrage over vaccine rule

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and asserted the need for an urgent resolution of the quarantine issue. Jaishankar urged for an early resolution regarding the issue and stated that is in 'mutual interest' for both countries. This comes amid United Kingdom's discriminatory stand against Indians who want to travel to the United Kingdom.

According to a travel advisory by the UK, people from India and few other countries who are 'fully vaccinated' will be considered 'unvaccinated' if they were administered the Covishield vaccine. The travel advisory states that people from India vaccinated with Covishield will be required to undergo self-isolation for ten days. In addition, the passengers from the designated countries have also been asked to take a pre-departure test, a day 2 and day 8 PCR test. 

Politicians hit out at UK's vaccine racism 

The United Kingdom has been criticised in India's political circles by several leaders. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh termed the decision as 'bizarre' and said that it reeks of racism. He also criticised the country and stated that Covishield was originally developed in the UK. Moreover, the Serum Institute of India in Pune had supplied vaccines to the UK, he added

On the other hand, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta too had a similar take and spoke about the outrage in India over the UK's non-recognition of the Covishield. Swapan Dasgupta too remarked that the Covishield was developed in the United Kingdom and is widely used there. Dasgupta too stated that the move was racist in nature and expressed doubt over the upcoming FTA talks. 

Discriminatory COVID travel rules of the UK 

The new discriminatory rules were announced on September 17 and are set to be effective from October 4. According to the UK, the decision was announced as an attempt to change the current “red, amber, green traffic light system” to a single red list of countries in a bid to “simplify travel measures”. The simplified travel measures include relaxed rules for fully vaccinated travellers coming from non-red list countries. People coming from the non-red list of countries will be able to replace 2 PCR tests with cheaper lateral flow tests, and no longer need to take pre-departure tests. 

"From 4 October, England will welcome fully vaccinated travellers from a host of new countries (not part of the red list) – who will be treated like returning fully vaccinated UK travellers including 17 countries and territories such as Japan and Singapore, following the success of an existing pilot with the US and Europe," the new travel guidelines released by the country read.

However, fully vaccinated people of non-red countries such as Africa, or South America or countries including UAE, India, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand, Russia, as per the Boris Johnson-led government will be treated as unvaccinated. As per the new UK travel rules, passengers who aren’t recognised as being fully vaccinated with authorised vaccines and certificates under England’s international travel rules will still have to take a pre-departure test, a day two and day eight PCR test, and self-isolate for 10 days upon their return from a non-red list country under the new two-tiered travel programme.

Image: PTI/ AP/ Twitter/@DrSJaishankar