The UK government on Friday announced a major relaxation of international travel rules for vaccinated people coming in and out of England. With new rules, the long-haul routes between India and the UK are set to benefit.
From October 4, the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries based on levels of Covid-19 risk will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only.
The scrapping of an amber list, which is what India is currently on, means reduced cost burden for travellers related to compulsory PCR tests - especially for the Indian people vaccinated in the UK.
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However, an expanded list of countries whose vaccines are recognised in England does not include India. It means that Indians vaccinated with Covishield would still be required to undergo a pre-departure PCR test and further tests on landing in the UK.
From October 4, travellers from 17 additional countries with eligible vaccines, including Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, will no longer need to take pre-departure PCR tests for travelling into England.