From a 10-day quarantine to showing a negative COVID-19 test result, here are the quarantine rules for passengers travelling to the UK from India. By Anushka Goel
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In September, the UK had imposed a mandatory 10-day quarantine for all passengers travelling to the UK from India. As a result, India, too, had imposed a 10-day quarantine on those travelling to India from the UK.
Earlier, the UK’s list of approved vaccines did not include the World Health Organization (WHO)-approved Covishield, but later, the UK government added the vaccine to its list. However, the quarantine rules continue to apply for all Indians as the CoWIN vaccination certificate is not approved by the UK yet. These new rules came into effect on Monday, October 4.
So, if you’re planning on travelling to the UK from India or vice-versa, you’ll need to be well-versed with the latest guidelines as they can be a bit confusing. Here’s a look at what you need to know as of now:
Travelling to the UK from India:
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- According to The Quint, Indians travelling to the UK will have to submit a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, irrespective of their vaccination status.
- Passengers will have to book (and pay for) RT-PCT tests to be taken on Day 2 and Day 8 of the stay in the UK.
- Indians travelling to the UK will have to undergo mandatory quarantine at home or the place they’re visiting/staying at. Travellers also have the option of a “test to release” from isolation after a negative PCR test on Day 5, reports NDTV.
Travelling to India from the UK:
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- Since India has imposed reciprocal curbs on passengers arriving in the country from the UK, all arrivals from the country will have to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine upon their arrival in India, irrespective of their vaccination status, reports India.com.
- All British citizens flying to India will have to upload a negative RT-PCT test report within 72 hours of departure, and submit a health declaration form on the Air Suvidha portal, reports The Quint.
- Further, all British citizens will be subjected to a COVID-19 RT-PCR test on arrival in India and a second test on Day 8, taken at the passenger’s own cost.
The UK recently scrapped its traffic-light system, which categorised countries in the red, amber and green lists, with travel restrictions being the strictest for those in the red list and least for those in the green list. India was on the amber list before the UK scrapped this system to introduce just two lists—red and the rest of the world—with travel for those in the red list being restricted to essential travel combined with quarantine, negative COVID-19 rest results and more.
Related: The UK’s New International Travel Regulations Recognise Fully Vaccinated Indians As Unvaccinated
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