After the World Health Organisation gave approval for Covaxin for emergency use, India has initiated a diplomatic blitz to increase the list of countries that would mutually recognise vaccine certificates that would allow smoother travel for Indians.
The Indian diplomatic crops are on an overdrive to get more countries to recognise Covaxin as the number of countries accepting Indians vaccinated with the Bharat Biotech-developed vaccine could rise after WHO’s decision.
So far, Australia, Sri Lanka, Greece, Nepal, Mauritius, Estonia, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines amongst others have approved Covaxin. More importantly, Indians who have taken both doses of Covaxin will be permitted to enter the US from 8 November.
Additionally, seven countries comprising Palestine, Mauritius, Mangolia, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, Serbia, and Estonia have opted to mutually recognise vaccine certificates with India.
As of now over 20 countries have already permitted vaccinated Indians entry without being quarantined and vice versa.
During the recently held G20 meeting in Rome, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed mutual recognition of Covid vaccination certificates. Subsequently, the G20 leaders decided to work towards reopening international travel by acknowledging mutual recognition of vaccine certificates.
“Fact of the matter is that the point the PM tried to make (on vaccine certification) has been received. Most countries are quite happy with the idea of facilitating smoother international travel…and feel that we need to collectively work on it,” Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said post the summit, as reported by the Economic Times.
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