India has opened its borders to tourists after a 20-month lockdown to curb the country’s Covid-19 infection rate. The nation is now allowing quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated travellers from 99 countries, meaning visitors only have to monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.
As of November 14 2021, a list of 99 countries can visit India as tourists. At-risk countries, which include South Africa, along with the UK and other European countries will still have to do follow additional measures on arrival, such as post-arrival testing.
Citizens from countries that are not on the list will have to do a Covid test upon arrival and spend seven days in-home quarantine, and take another covid test on their eights day after their arrival date. Notable countries excluding from the list of 99 include China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia.
India has shown a declining infection rate with the country’s immunisation campaign having administered more than a billion doses. Antibody surveys have also suggested that most Indians have already been exposed to Covid, meaning that citizens have some resistance to severe symptoms.
Many Indians have already taken advantage of the eased restrictions, with domestic tourists flocking to the destination hotspots like the coastal province of Goa and the Mountainous regions in the north of the country. Families also gathered earlier this month to celebrate Diwali, the countries largest festival.
Pictures: Unsplash
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