Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have now been taken off the UK red list, which means they can travel to Britain and quarantine for ten days at a place of their choosing, not in a high-priced hotel. The complaints from Pakistan were particularly loud when India was taken off the list since it had more cases than Pakistan. There were reports of inaccuracies in Pakistan by British officials.
Indian uproar over the lack of recognition of vaccine certification still puts the dispute one step ahead. There is a strong push in India to end quarantine, so that travelers from other countries can travel without quarantine if they have been fully vaccinated. There is no doubt that controversy will rise in Pakistan as well due to expectations and comparisons.
In resolving the certification issue, it was helpful for Indian Minister for external affairs S Jaishankar and British counterpart Liz Truss to be in the same city. Nobody else will be able to fix this issue if they cannot. This indicates an early resolution, or a long confrontation.
It’s actually a matter of principle that’s at the heart of this certification dispute. Indian travellers to UK have been happy to quarantine at a place of their choice instead of a hotel they have to pay for, unlike foreign travelers who do not take quarantine seriously. But this is about the British telling India they disrespect its processes and distrust its government. This message really stings; the UK does not have a very large Indian population preparing to enter.
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Shashi Tharoor is likely to conclude this debate about quarantine as the last member of this coalition. To his credit, it is he who raised the point of principle that really made no difference in ground levels. In accordance with the UK orders, quarantine is in place at the moment and will remain so after October 4. If that restriction is lifted, this would have been a coup for him that no one had ever thought of attempting before.
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