Post-closing its borders to foreign visitors for 20 months owing to the coronavirus pandemic, India will now permit completely vaccinated international travellers from approximately 99 nations to enter, devoid of any quarantine measures.
In the guiding principles updated in the earlier week, India stated that travellers incoming from these 99 nations will be permitted to omit a post-advent Covid test, but must closely gauge their health for the next 2 weeks – even if the nation they are arriving from is considered to be ‘at risk.’
To be precise, travellers entering from nations that are not contemplated to be at risk can also elide quarantine but need to monitor their health for 14 days.
As of November 13th 2021, there were 99 nations on that list that was inclusive of countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, France, Germany, Singapore, and Australia.
The nations mentioned in the list majorly fall under two classifications:
- Those with mutual agreements with the Indian government to identify each other’s vaccine certificates for either regionally accepted vaccinations or those that are conceded by the World Health Organization (WHO);
- Nations that do not have such treaties but permit fully vaccinated Indian citizens to travel.
Prominent nations that are absent from that list of 99 nations include South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and China.
The Covid Situation in India
India witnessed an overwhelming secondary wave culminated in the dawn of May 2021. It strapped the nation’s healthcare organizations to the brim as Covid19 calamities ascended and hospital beds and other medical provisions were at the brink of running out. Since that moment, Covid19 cases have been swerving, whilst vaccination rates have surged in some manner.
Statistics collated by Our World in Data, an online publication, showcased that the 1-week moving average of Covid19 cases per million individuals chopped down below 10 on October 31st 2021 and has been maintained in that manner as of November 14th 2021. The number was as high as 280, and at its peak in May 2021.
Still, owing to the restricted testing, the number of established cases remain at an all-time low when compared to the definite number of infections.
In October 2021, India accomplished a noteworthy vaccine breakthrough – it directed over 1 billion Covid19 vaccine dosages since the commencement of its determined vaccination program in January 2021.
Nevertheless, just below 40% of the qualified population has been completely vaccinated, dwindling below the stride to meet capital city New Delhi’s priorly declared target of immunizing every adult by the dusk of 2021.
India has authenticated numerous vaccines since the commencement of the inoculation program. They are inclusive of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca – regionally identified as Covishield and manufactured by the Serum Institute. The country has also authenticated Russia’s Sputnik-V and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
Both Covaxin and Covishield have been accepted for utilizations by the WHO.
India has also supposedly authenticated its foremost vaccine for those under 18 years old – a three-dose jab manufactured by Indian drugmaker Cadila Healthcare.