Congress on Monday criticised the United Kingdom government’s decision to consider people vaccinated in India, as unvaccinated.
According to the UK government’s new travel rules, people vaccinated in Africa and South America, and in countries including India, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand, and Russia will be considered unvaccinated. The new rules will be effective from October 4. The passengers from these countries will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine on arrival in the United Kingdom.
“It is offensive to ask fully vaccinated Indians to quarantine,” Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said. “The Brits are reviewing!”
The MP said on Twitter that on account of the rules, he has refused to attend an event at the debating society of The Cambridge Union and has also pulled out of events pertaining to the UK edition of his book “The Battle Of Belonging.”
Another senior Congress politician Jairam Ramesh said that the Pune-based vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India has supplied shots to the UK, and alleged that the UK’s decision “smacks of racism.”
“Absolutely bizarre considering Covishield was originally developed in the UK and The Serum Institute, Pune has supplied to that country too! This smacks of racism,” reads his tweet.
