On April 19, the U.K banned travel from 41 red list countries including India. Briain added India to its travel red list and also made a 10-day quarantine mandatory for U.K residents arriving back from India. Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that 103 Covid cases of the new Indian variant have been identified in the U.K. The majority of these cases have links to international travel. Apart from India, the other red list countries include Qatar, the UAE, Kenya and Chile to name a few.
The U.K Adds India To The Red List Countries
The U.K has banned travel to and from India, adding the country to the 41 red list countries. This news comes amid rising concerns of a new Covid variant that’s rapidly spreading in India. The U.K has also recorded 103 cases of the new Indian Covid variant. Currently, a host of states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Rajasthan have imposed strict night curfews and lockdowns to grapple with the rising Covid cases amid the second wave. India reported 273,810 new infections. This is the highest daily rise ever since the start of the pandemic. Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the decision of adding India to the red list countries on April 19. The U.K and Irish returnees from red list countries must undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine.
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Indian Covid Variant Cases Found In The U.K
According to The Hindu, Hancock stated, “After studying the data, and on a precautionary basis, we’ve made the difficult but vital decision to add India to the red list. This means anyone who is not a U.K. or Irish citizen… cannot enter the U.K. if they have been in India in the previous 10 days.” The new rules will be enforced from April 23. Moreover, he also revealed that the U.K has collected samples of the new Indian variant. They are being tested to identify concerning characteristics like resistance to treatments and vaccines or greater transmissibility. Earlier, U.K Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the cancellation of his trip to India due to the spike of infections in the country. Meanwhile, here’s an inspiring story of a Mumbai boy’s experience grappling with the coronavirus.
