The United States has said vaccination is not a “mandatory requirement” for Indian students to travel to the country, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
To a question, Official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said a “constructive solution” should be found to help Indian students returning to attend academic sessions there. The U.S. Embassy here had recently begun processing visas for on-campus education.
Vaccine hurdles to foreign travel plans
“There is no uniformity in the requirements. The U.S. government has clarified that vaccination is not a mandatory requirement for our students to travel. I also understand that there are multiple conversations going on between our students and the universities.”
The comments pointed out the contradiction between the U.S. government and some of the leading academic institutions that are demanding vaccination before the students are allowed to return to the campuses.
A State Department spokesperson on Thursday said individuals who are not fully vaccinated will have to stay under self-quarantine for a week.
“We remind travellers beginning January 26, all air passengers two years of age or older arriving to the United States must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or proof of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding. This order applies to both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens. After arrival, a follow up test is needed within five days,” said the spokesperson.
The issue of lack of uniformity of the U.S. requirement comes from the fact that many of the leading universities and the government are yet to reach a consensus on the matter.
