Most of the countries are continuing their travel restrictions on India in the wake of the threat of the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is the variant that was first reported from India and has now spread across the world. It is the variant responsible for 90 per cent of cases in the United Kingdom now. Given this situation, only a few countries are now welcoming travellers from India, leaving students in a lurch.
Countries where Indians can travel
Russia, Serbia, Costa Rica, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania are the countries open for Indian travellers. People travelling from India do not need to be quarantined in these countries. Negative RT-PCR is all that a traveller will need to enter these countries.
Turkey will require a negative RT-PCR test report and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone travelling from India.
South Korea has lifted the travel ban on India and done away with the mandatory two-week quarantine for those vaccinated with both the doses of Covishield vaccine. However, those who are vaccinated with Covaxin, which is yet to get approval from the World Health Organization, will have to remain in quarantine.
The United States has not lifted its travel ban on India but those who have students' visa can travel to the country. Some other national interest exception categories are also allowed to travel. Mandatory vaccination is not yet a requirement but educational institutes, companies may have their different set of vaccine rules.
Germany is also another popular destination for Indian students but it is not yet open for Indian students. German ambassador to India Walter J Lindner recently tweeted that against the backdrop of Delta variant spreading rapidly, easing travel restrictions for "virus-mutation countries" is not an easy decision to make. "Numbers of Covid cases are falling in parts of Europe, so some measures are being relaxed. At same time, case-numbers of potentially more transmissible and vaccine resistent variants (esp Delta) are growing in many countries and cause fear of a 4th wave which could reverse the achieved. Against this backdrop, easing travel restrictions from virus-mutation countries not easy case to make. We try to find realistic solutions. We see and hear students' plights, who would not understand them? But also job of virologists and health experts to protect own citizens against next wave," he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Germany is also another popular destination for Indian students but it is not yet open for Indian students. German ambassador to India Walter J Lindner recently tweeted that against the backdrop of Delta variant spreading rapidly, easing travel restrictions for "virus-mutation countries" is not an easy decision to make. "Numbers of Covid cases are falling in parts of Europe, so some measures are being relaxed. At same time, case-numbers of potentially more transmissible and vaccine resistent variants (esp Delta) are growing in many countries and cause fear of a 4th wave which could reverse the achieved. Against this backdrop, easing travel restrictions from virus-mutation countries not easy case to make. We try to find realistic solutions. We see and hear students' plights, who would not understand them? But also job of virologists and health experts to protect own citizens against next wave," he wrote.
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