The Foreign Office has relaxed its travel advice for India just over a week after the country was moved from the government’s red list to its list of amber destinations.
Explaining its decision, the FCDO said that “pressure on the Indian health care system has lifted” and it no longer advises against all but essential travel to India “based on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks”.
India was relegated to the red list in April over concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19 which has now become the dominant variant in the UK.
On August 4, the government confirmed that India would move back to an expanded amber list alongside several other countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain.
The Foreign Office added: “Following the peak of India’s second Covid-19 wave in May, pressure on the Indian health care system has lifted, as the number of Covid-19 cases has fallen.”
Foreign Office advice is now in line with the traffic light system, meaning Britons should find it easier to get travel insurance cover.
Fully-vaccinated arrivals from amber-listed countries who have been jabbed with a vaccine authorised and administered in the UK, US or Europe do no need to quarantine.