As international borders reopen to globetrotters, travel and economy look to take a flight, too
It comes as India’s major diplomatic win as 96 countries have recognised the two Indian-manufactured COVID-19 vaccines — Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and AstraZeneca’s Covishield. The WHO has so far included eight vaccines in the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and two out of these happen to be Indian vaccines. This also assumes significance as the UK had earlier raised flags about the veracity of the CoWIN ( GoI’s web portal for COVID-19 vaccination registration) data and the vaccine certificates issued by it, though it was quick to reverse the decision after the ‘vaccine certificate row’ between the two countries. Under this certificate pact, these countries — including the UK, the US, Australia and many European and Middle East nations — have agreed to mutual recognition of vaccine certificates of travellers fully vaccinated with WHO approved vaccines. The list includes most of the important countries that trade with India. China and Pakistan, however, did not make it and that barely comes as a surprise. The Government continues to be in communication with the rest of the world so that beneficiaries of the world’s largest COVID vaccination program are accepted and recognised, thereby easing travel for education, business and tourism purposes.
The relaxation certainly comes as hope for international travellers to and from India. Those who have been eagerly waiting for an international trip to one of these countries can let loose their wanderlust. However, the bigger picture is much more promising. The relaxation is expected to revive the saddened travel sector which eventually can boost the economy. As per the ‘Migration and Development Brief’ released by the World Bank, India was the largest recipient of remittances in 2020 with over $83 billion. The World Bank, however, projects that remittances to India are likely to drop by 23 per cent to $64 billion this year due to the impact of the pandemic. As more countries across the world recognise vaccines and open their borders to foreing travellers, workers and students, the decline might gradually reverse. However, at the same time, the citizens also must not forget that though travel restrictions are being eased, the virus is still there. The hodophiles should not flock to airports and board the very first flight abroad. It is necessary to take one step at a time and remain watchful.