India hits back at UK; travel norms to be tightened for British nationals arriving in India

In what it could be called a 'tit for tat' response, India on Friday decided to impose reciprocity on the British nationals arriving in India from the United Kingdom with effect from October 4. 

Sources in the government establishment said that the new regulations will be applicable to all UK nationals from Monday. 

The new regulations for them include pre-departure Covid-19 RTPCR test within 72 hours before travel, RTPCR test on arrival at the airport, RTPCR test on Day 8 after arrival and mandatory quarantine in the destination address for a period of 10 days after arrival in India. 

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The decision was taken after the UK raised the certification issue with New Delhi. 

Authorities in the civil aviation and health ministries would be initiating steps to implement the new measures, the sources said.

Earlier, the British administration had not recognised the Covishield vaccine, but the country revised its stand after Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar raised the discriminatory travel rules with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly event in New York last month. 

On September 23, India and the United Kingdom had a discussion over each other’s certification process. 

India's CoWin Chairman RS Sharma and British High Commissioner Alex Ellis held a discussion on issues, wherein the two sides did not raise any technical concerns over the certification process. 

After the meeting, Ellis had taken to micro-blogging site Twitter to inform that the two sides had excellent technical discussions and that neither country raised technical concerns with each other's certification process. 

Ellis had called the meeting an important step forward in our joint aim to facilitate travel and fully protect the public health of the UK and India.

The meeting was held days after India warned of imposing retaliatory action if the United Kingdom does not revise its Coronavirus quarantine rules for Indians. 

CoWin Chairman RS Sharma had said both countries also look forward to deepening ties between Ayushman and UK's National Health Service, as they collaborate to build a digital continuum of healthcare services.

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• United Kingdom
• India
• British Nationals
• travel guidelines
• Vaccine
• Covishield
• RTPCR test
• Mandatory Quarantine
• Flights
• New Delhi
• London
• Alex Ellis
• S Jaishankar