UK citizens will also need three COVID-19 RT-PCR tests for travelling to India.

New Delhi:

All British citizens arriving in India from Monday will face a mandatory 10-day quarantine irrespective of vaccination status, sources in the government have told NDTV, in a reciprocal measure over UK’s hugely controversial similar rules for residents of several countries including India.

“From October 4, all UK nationals arriving in India from the UK, irrespective of their vaccination status, will have to undertake three COVID-19 RT-PCR tests – within 72 hours before travel, on arrival at airport, and on Day 8 after arrival, and mandatory quarantine at home or in the destination address for 10 days after arrival in India,” sources said.

Described as discriminatory and even “colonialist”, the UK government has faced intense backlash over its refusal to recognise visitors as vaccinated unless they received their shots in a handful of select countries.

Under travel rules unveiled last month, fully dosed arrivals from nations such as the US, Israel and Australia will be allowed to enter England without quarantine starting October 4. But vaccinated people from vast swathes of the world still face tougher restrictions, including a 10-day home isolation period.

India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla called the rules “discriminatory” and warned that “reciprocal action” may be warranted.

The UK adjusted its policy to include the Covishield shot widely used in India as an approved vaccine, but the Asian country still isn’t on the list of acceptable places to receive a dose. As a result, people who received Covishield in the UK count as vaccinated, while those who got it in India do not.

British officials told NDTV last week that the issue was not the vaccine itself but the issues with India’s “vaccination certification” process and the two sides announced “progress” in recognising each other’s certificates after high-level talks.

Dr RS Sharma, CEO of India’s National Health Authority said certification after coronavirus vaccinations in India is a centralised national system managed through the CoWIN app and portal and there are “no issues” with the platform.