UK eases rules for vaccinated travellers, including Indians; Details inside

The UK government announced a substantial easing of foreign travel regulations for vaccinated individuals entering and leaving England on Friday, with long-haul connections between India and the UK expected to benefit.

The elimination of an amber list, which India is now on, means lower costs for travellers - particularly for Indians who have been vaccinated in the UK - when it comes to mandatory PCR testing.

However, India is not included in an expanded list of countries whose vaccines are recognised in England, which means that Indians who were vaccinated with Covishield - the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India - would still be required to undergo a pre-departure PCR test and additional tests once they arrived in the UK.

Travellers from 17 additional countries with proper vaccinations, including Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, will no longer be required to perform pre-departure PCR testing before entering England as of October 4.

Travellers from 17 additional countries with proper vaccinations, including Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, will no longer be required to perform pre-departure PCR testing before entering England as of October 4.

Grant Shapps, the UK Transport Secretary, stated that public health has always been at the forefront of their foreign travel policy, and that with over 44 million people in the UK fully vaccinated, they are now able to implement a proportionately updated system that represents the new reality.

Before departure, all passengers must complete the required passenger location form.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are among eight red-list countries that will be removed from the travel restriction list as of next Wednesday, according to the latest update. Turkey, the Maldives, Egypt, Oman, and Kenya are among the countries that have been removed from the list.

Fully vaccinated travellers from non-red list countries will be able to substitute the existing mandatory day-two PCR test requirement with less expensive lateral flow testing beginning in October. Anyone who tests positive will be required to isolate themselves and perform a free confirmation PCR test, which will be genomically sequenced to aid in the discovery of novel variations.