UK Vs India: India Reciprocate With Tit For Tat COVID-19 Travel Measures!
From the 4th of October 2021,
like the United Kingdom did after the backlash, the Government of India
announced that the British travelers will have to undergo RT-PCR tests 72 hours
before departure, another test on arrival in India and again on the 8th
day of their mandatory 10-day quarantine at their Indian home or at their
destination irrespective of their vaccination status of whatever vaccine. Again,
the British High Commission in India got reportedly hyper-activated holding ‘extensive’
discussions with India once more, both authorities discussing the ‘technicalities’
of the COVID-19 vaccination certification that seemed to be dwelt upon much
earlier too. The delay by the World Health Organization in giving the final go
to the India-made Covaxin for emergency use is putting India at further
disadvantage. It is to be seen now if the friendly bilateral relations between
the two countries would be able to prevail upon both to sort
out the matter by the 4th of October, a date that would start adversely
affecting travelers from both the countries.
Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 infections in
India have been fluctuating again, after achieving the six-month low daily
figure of around 18000 and daily deaths below the 200 mark. In the last 24
hours there were more than 24000 cases and 234 fatalities. Kerala, as usual, is
leading; and the increase in the national numbers always reflects the rise in
cases in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram and to some
extent West Bengal too where daily cases have again been crossing the 700 mark
consistently. The step by the West Bengal government to stick to the same
restrictions for Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the state, as adopted during
2020 except for lifting the night curfew during the Puja days only is most
welcome and timely. Therefore, people of the state will have to take ‘darshan’ 10 meters away from the Puja
pandals apart from the mandatory wearing of masks whereas only 25 members of
the organizing committee would be allowed within the pandals for the big public
pujas and only 12 members for the small pujas.
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