Indian travellers who have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine will be considered ‘unvaccinated’ in the United Kingdom. They will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days.
This has caused anger among citizens and the central government. The Centre has called the UK vaccine policy mandating quarantine even for fully vaccinated Indians a ‘discriminatory policy’.
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla said today (September 21) that the United Kingdom’s non-recognition of the India-manufactured Covishield COVID19 vaccine is not only a ‘discriminating’ policy, but it is also expected to impact Indian travellers to the UK.
“The EU medical body, EAM, has raised the issue strongly with the new UK foreign secretary,” said Shringla while speaking at a press conference today.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has urged Britain to reconsider the discriminatory policy. Interestingly, Britons vaccinated in the United Kingdom with the same Indian-made doses are not required to quarantine.
A majority of the Indian population has been vaccinated with Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. So far, more than 823 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country. Of the total doses, 88 per cent were of Serum Institute’s Covishield and 11 per cent of indigenous vaccine — Covaxin — developed by Bharat Biotech. Besides Covishield and Covaxin, India is also administering Sputnik V vaccine doses.
