BENGALURU: Several IT companies and manufacturing units planning to send their employees to European countries, especially Germany, or those travelling on business from Bengaluru, are finding it difficult to do so. The reason being that these countries want incoming Indian travellers to have had either the first or second dose of the prescribed Covid-19 and 270 days have not lapsed from the date of the last dose.
Even if an adult is vaccinated with the second dose in August, then the 270-day period will have elapsed and they will be considered as unvaccinated. The Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) recently wrote to Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar seeking permission to administer precautionary doses for such travellers, irrespective of age.
“It is brought to our notice that some countries in the EU want incoming Indian travellers to ensure that both doses of the Covid vaccination have been administered and 270 days have not elapsed from the date of the last dose. In the event 270 days have elapsed, then the individual is considered as unvaccinated. This norm causes undue inconvenience to many business travellers, as international air travel is opening up in many countries,” BCIC president K R Sekar said in his letter.
Sekar suggested that those who have been given two doses of Covid-19 vaccine be allowed to receive additional booster shots immediately after the expiry of 270 days, irrespective of their age, in case they intend to travel abroad. A fourth shot may also be considered in case the destination countries do not change their guidelines for incoming international travellers, he noted.
“We are getting requests from companies and industries to ensure permission is given so that business travellers are free of unnecessary hassles of being in quarantine after reaching the destination,” he said.