Facing flak over vaccine discrimination, UK says engaging with India

Facing severe criticism over its discrimination against India-approved Covid vaccines, the UK has said it is engaging with India on how to expand the recognition of the Covid-19 vaccine certification issued by Indian authorities.

The comments by a spokesperson in the British High Commission here came amid concerns in India over the latest Covid-related travel restrictions announced by the United Kingdom.

According to new rules, Indian travellers who have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be considered unvaccinated and will have to undergo self-isolation for 10 days.

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Asked about the concerns in India over the new rules that will come into effect from October 4, the British High Commission spokesperson said the UK is committed to opening up international travel again "as soon as is practicable".

From October 4, the UK will replace the current "traffic light system" of red, amber, green countries based on levels of Covid-19 risk with one red list of countries. The expanded list of countries whose vaccines are recognised in the UK does not include India.