On Wednesday, just after the United Kingdom government gave its approval for Pfizer’s vaccine against COVID-19, a small section of residents from the city has been busy making enquiries to look into the possibility of flying to the United Kingdom to get a shot.
However, whether non-U.K. citizens will get access to the vaccine in the early stages remains doubtful. And yet, travel agents said some of their regular clients had reached out to them to know if there were chances for them to get the vaccine by travelling to the United Kingdom.
Tushar Jain, a travel agent, said one of his customers was ready to pay a few lakhs to take a trip, provided everything is arranged and the vaccine is made available but they said they wanted to fly only if the vaccine was completely safe and secure.
Sriharan Balan of Madura Travels said he too received quite a few enquiries in the last few days, with people wanting to know if they could travel to the U.K. and get the vaccine. “These people belong to the elite section of society. They have been asking us on which visa they can travel, where to stay, and if they will be eligible to get a shot. But there is no clarity of any sort now and we have responded saying we will reach out to them as soon as we hear from the consulate or the U.K. government,” he added.
Mostly, people over the age of 55-60 were the ones wishing to get a vaccine shot at the earliest.
Shahul Hameed, chairman of the Travel Agents’ Association of India, said there were also people who desperately wanted to travel and take a holiday, and hence would use this opportunity to get a vaccine as well. “There is no clarity right now on who will be eligible. So, it is too early for any of us to promise anything to the people. There is a long way to go as far as this is concerned,” he added.
