India welcomes vaccinated foreign tourists after 18 months
India began allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country on regular commercial flights on Monday
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New Delhi, November 16: India began allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country on regular commercial flights on Monday, in the latest easing of corona-virus restrictions as infections fall and vaccinations rise.
This is for the first time that India has allowed foreign tourists on commercial flights to enter the country, since March 2020, when it imposed a tough lockdown in the world in an attempt to contain the pandemic. Fully vaccinated tourists on chartered flights were allowed to enter starting last month.
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All tourists entering India have to be fully vaccinated, follow all Covid-19 protocols, and test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their flight, according to health ministry. Many will also need to undergo a post-arrival Covid-19 test at the airport.
However, travellers from countries having agreements with India for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates, such as the U.S., U.K. and many European nations, can leave the airport without undergoing a Covid-19 test.
This is for the first time that India has allowed foreign tourists on commercial flights to enter the country, since March 2020, when it imposed a tough lockdown in the world in an attempt to contain the pandemic. Fully vaccinated tourists on chartered flights were allowed to enter starting last month.
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To encourage more travellers to visit India, the government plans to issue 500,000 free visas through next March. These moves are expected to give a boost to the tourism and hospitality sector which suffered a lot during the pandemic.
India is the second-worst-hit country after the U.S. Active coronavirus cases stand at 134,096, the lowest in 17 months, according to the health ministry.
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Almost 79% of India’s adult population has received at least one vaccine dose, while 38% population fully vaccinated. The federal government has asked state administrations to conduct door-to-door campaigns so as to accelerate the vaccine campaign.
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