COVID travel update: UK likely to relax travel norms for Indian fliers from October 1

Good news for Indian travellers wanting to visit the UK! Starting October 1, those travelling to the UK from India will not have to take the super expensive RT PCR Coronavirus tests. The UK government is thinking of a way out. In the coming days, the UK might drop quarantine restrictions for the countries in its amber category. And now that India is also a part of the amber list, most probably the PCR tests would also stop.

The UK has divided countries into three categories, Red, Amber and Red zone. And as per reports, From October 1, the amber category might be dropped. But still, there’s no clarity on the accepted vaccines for Indian travellers. The country is not considering people who are fully vaccinated with Covidshield. Though AstraZeneca, a widely used vaccine in the UK and India’s Covishield are manufactured by the same Serum Institute, the Indian vaccine is still not approved by the UK government.
According to the existing rules in the UK, if a person is not vaccinated in the UK, US or Europe, he/she will have to be quarantined and take a PCR test on day 2 and day 8 after arriving in the country. But now Indians are hoping that from October 1, travelling to the UK will get easier and hassle free.
As now, Indians wanting to travel to the UK will have to follow the below mentioned rules:

1. RT PCR test to be done three days before boarding the flight.
2. Reach the UK and take a PCR test on the second and then again on the eighth day of the arrival. All these tests should be booked in advance.

3. If a person is fully vaccinated in India, a 10-day home quarantine is mandatory. The rule is not applicable for people under 18 years.

4. Kids under 11 are not required to take the tests before travel. They’ll be tested on the second day of their arrival.