Mon 15 November 2021:
India is allowing quarantine-free entry to fully inoculated travelers from 99 reciprocating countries after halting tourist visas in March last year. The government only requires such tourists to monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.
After a 20-month ban due to the Covid-19 epidemic, India reopened its doors to foreign tourists from countries with reciprocal agreements on Monday.
However, tour companies said that demand was extremely low due to high ticket prices and ongoing restrictions on travelers from the United Kingdom, China, and other countries.
As the virus worsened, the country known for the Taj Mahal, desert palaces, and tiger reserves banned all outside visitors in March 2020.
However, following a severe increase in Covid-19 cases earlier this year, the number of confirmed infections has dropped considerably, and the government, under pressure from a crucial economic pillar, announced a softening this month.
From October 15, tourist visas were provided for fully vaccinated visitors arriving on charter aircraft from countries having reciprocal agreements.
This was expanded to cover other Monday flights.
Visitors from the authorized countries can get a tourist visa online and just have to keep track of their health for 14 days after they arrive.
Those from the United Kingdom, the European Union, China, Brazil, South Africa, and other countries, on the other hand, are subject to further checks, including Covid testing upon arrival.
Goa, a popular tourist destination in southern India, will see its first charter flight from Britain land on December 13, the Times of India reported in late October.
The first half-million visas were likewise given them for free.
The country’s immunization campaign has also gathered pace, with more than a billion vaccine doses administered, and antibody surveys suggest that most Indians have already been exposed to COVID-19. While national infection levels have in recent weeks touched lows last seen earlier in the year, there are concerns that the easing of curbs risks a complacency similar to when India experienced an ebb between its two major waves.
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