Foreign Office lifts advice against travel to India

‘Pressure on the Indian health care system has lifted,’ says FCDO

The FCDO has lifted its advice against travelling to India (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Foreign Office has removed its advice against all but essential travel to India, which recently joined the UK’s amber list.

“Following the peak of India’s second Covid-19 wave in May, pressure on the Indian health care system has lifted as the number of Covid-19 cases has fallen,” said the department.

This alignment of Foreign Office (FCDO) advice with the traffic light system means that travellers from Britain should find it easier to arrange travel insurance cover for trips to India.

The country was one of four to change from red to amber status on 4 August, alongside Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar.

It had joined the red list in April 2021 due to concerns over the spread of the Delta variant, but today recorded its lowest daily spike in Covid cases in 154 days.

The national recovery rate - now at 97.51 per cent - is also at its highest since March 2020.

Limited passenger flights between the UK and India have been operating since last summer, under special air corridor arrangements agreed by the two governments.

Fully vaccinated Britons returning from India no longer need to quarantine, but must arrange a pre-departure test while still in the country, as well as a day two PCR test after getting home.

To qualify as fully vaccinated, you must have had your second vaccine injection two full weeks before you travel.

On the ground, several Indian states still have Covid-related restrictions in place, as anxiety about a third wave of high cases lingers.

West Bengal recently extended its restrictions, including a night curfew and limited local trains, until 31 August. Other regions require proof of a negative test in order to cross state borders.

The next UK review of the travel traffic light system is expected to be announced on 25 August, with changes coming into effect the following week.