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Updated July 25th, 2021 at 07:29 IST

India asks UK to review travel of Indians: 'Mumbai, Delhi practically free of COVID-19'

'Mumbai, Delhi are practically free of COVID, we're constantly vigilant telling citizens to take precautions so that we don’t have third wave,' Shringla said

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
COVID-19
IMAGE: Twitter/@PhilipRBarton | Image:self
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India has asked the United Kingdom (UK) to review the ‘red list’ travel ban on Indian nationals citing the improved pandemic situation in Mumbai, and the capital New Delhi. India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla briefed UK about India’s bare minimum COVID-19 toll as he made a two-day trip to the UK to take stock of the Roadmap 2030 for closer ties as agreed by the two leaders PM Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Shringla urged the UK govt to consider lifting the travel bans on visitors from India on July 24. He also unveiled India’s plans of issuance of vaccine certificates which will be implemented soon by the Indian government that will facilitate international travel.

In a high-level meeting with senior UK government representatives, including Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) Sir Philip Barton and FCDO minister for South Asia Lord Tariq Ahmad, secretary Shringla stated, “Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of COVID.” He continued, “But we can’t rest on that situation because we are constantly vigilant, telling our citizens to take precautions so that we don’t have a third wave.”

At a presser here in India, Shringla said that he pointed out France’s latest move in clearing visitors from India without mandatory quarantine if they were fully vaccinated with the two-dose regime of the vaccine and carried a negative PCR test, PTI reported. Furthermore, he stated, that the US has also upgraded India in the travel scheme, and therefore, he asked the UK to take note of the same. 

Mandatory 10-day quarantine for Indians in UK

Under UK’s ‘red travel’ list, Indian travellers are currently required to mandatorily quarantine for 10-days at a hotel upon entry into Britain. However, responding to Covishield’s non-recognition in European Union (EU), the Foreign Secretary stated that AstraZeneca had applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on behalf of the Serum Institute of India (SII), according to a letter dated May 14. Covishield is an Indian manufactured jab by the same formula as AstraZeneca by Pune’s Serum Institute. “It’s an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured under a transfer of technology in India so there can’t be any difference in the product – between that produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) or anywhere else," said Shringla.

Furthermore, he continued, “The EU has said they will leave it to individual member states to decide and 14 EU countries have already recognized Covishield, two of them have also recognized Covaxin suo moto.” Shringla added, “We are now asking all countries that you recognise our vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis, recognizing the integrity of that process.”  India’s Foreign Secretary also acknowledged the foreign support with critical medical equipment and other supplies, including from the UK, during India’s “severe" second wave of the COVID-19. 

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Published July 25th, 2021 at 07:29 IST

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