PM Modi urges mutual consent for COVID-19 vaccine certificates

Will ease international travel, Mr. Modi says amid row with U.K.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Global COVID-19 Summit, via video conferencing, in Washington DC on September 22, 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that international travel should be made easier through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates , amid several countries adopting different sets of rules to allow foreigners to enter their territory in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused unprecedented disruption.

In his video remarks at the Global COVID Summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, Mr. Modi also said India was ramping up production of vaccines and emphasised that supply chains of raw materials must be kept open .

“We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic’s economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier, through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates,” Mr. Modi said.

His remarks come on a day when the U.K. government issued an

updated international travel advisory to include AstraZeneca’s Covishield among the eligible COVID-19 vaccines, but kept India out of the 18 countries on an approved vaccinations list, requiring Indians to follow rules set out for “non-vaccinated” travellers .

On Monday, the U.S. announced a new international travel system under which fully vaccinated individuals would be allowed to enter the country beginning early November.

Pointing to the unprecedented disruption due to the pandemic, Mr. Modi said: “And, it is not yet over. Much of the world is still to be vaccinated. That is why this initiative by President Biden is timely and welcome.”