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Changes to ‘red list’ requirements from 4 October 2021

The United Kingdom amended its travel advisory last Wednesday mentioning that Covishield, the vaccine mutually developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII) – succeeds as an authorized vaccine for travellers coming to Britain from any part of the world from 4 October 4 and onwards.

On the other hand, as of now, that does not interpret into relief for quarantine for fully vaccinated (with WHO-approved Covishield) passengers from India under the laidback rules that come into force from 4 October 2021.

A top UK official has stated that, “The problem is not Covishield but India’s vaccine certificate”.

India had in the past objected about the UK’s non-recognition of the Covishield vaccine and cautioned of “reciprocal measures” if the ‘biased policy’ was not changed.

The move will also denote that a pre-departure PCR test is no longer obligated on condition that vaccinated travellers pre-book a day two test post-arrival in England and accomplish the obligatory passenger locator form in advance.

In its new advisory, the UK government mentioned that a traveller will be regarded as completely vaccinated if they are vaccinated with a full dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Janssen vaccines from an applicant public health body in designated countries.

The UK government update states that, “From 4 am, 4 October 2021, you will meet the requirement as fully vaccinated if you are vaccinated: under an authorized vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, USA or UK vaccine programme overseas; with a full course of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen From 4 am, 4 October 2021, you will succeed as fully vaccinated if you are vaccinated: under an authorized vaccination programme in the UK, Europe, USA or UK vaccine programme overseas vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada

Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar

Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan; Preparations of the 4 listed vaccines, for example AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as authorized vaccines. You must have had a complete course of an authorized vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England.”

The advisory added that along with Covishield, other formulations of the four vaccines mentioned before– as AstraZeneca Vaxzevria or Moderna Takeda – will also qualify as authorized vaccines.”

On 17 September 2021, the UK government mentioned that a new travel system which has just a red list and rest of the world. New rules apply to rest of the world arrivals in England from 4 October 2021. But for those from India, the circumstances are the same when India was moved from the red to amber list.