Amid India-UK vaccine certification row, Adar Poonawalla says rules for entry into Britain are 'total chaos'

In a tit-for-tat response, India announced on Friday that those arriving here from the United Kingdom will, from October 4, have to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine.

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla has described as “total chaos” rules for entry into the United Kingdom, as the refusal of the Boris Johnson administration to recognise the vaccination status against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) of Indian travellers, including those jabbed with Covishield, kicked up a major row with India.

Adar Poonawalla (File Photo/Bloomberg)

“It is total chaos. I call on all countries to work together, harmoniously, to sign a mutually agreed pact. At the very least, we can acknowledge a certification programme using vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO),” Livemint quoted Poonawalla as saying, citing the Serum CEO's exclusive interview with The Telegraph.

Under the new rules announced by the UK government, Indian citizens travelling there will be considered “unvaccinated” even if they are fully inoculated or, in other words, taken both doses of a Covid-19 jab. Covishield is the Indian variant of Britain's AstraZeneca vaccine and the SII manufactures it locally under that name. It is among six vaccines approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Due to their “unvaccinated” status under the new norms, Indians will have to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arriving in the UK. In a tit-for-tat response, India announced on Friday that, starting October 4, those arriving in the country from the United Kingdom will have to quarantine for an equal number of days as Indians travelling to the UK.

Responding to the reciprocal measures announced by New Delhi, the British high commission said that the UK is “continuing to engage with the Government of India on technical cooperation to people vaccinated by a relevant health authority in India.”