MUMBAI: In the coming months, as more and more countries open their borders to vaccinated tourists, Indian families travelling with minors would find a major hurdle along their path. With no Covid-19 vaccination program announced yet for those under the age of 18 years, parents from India travelling with children on foreign holidays would have limited options of holiday destinations they can travel to, without facing quarantine restrictions.
A case in point is Switzerland which opened its borders to vaccinated tourists, including those from India, on June 26. “Children under the age of 18 years, travelling with fully vaccinated adults, can enter Switzerland but they will have to undergo the mandatory 10 days of quarantine,’’ said a Swiss tourism representative.
The quarantine would be followed by an RT-PCR test after five to seven days.
A travel agent, requesting anonymity, said: “Switzerland is a popular destination among Indians, especially those travelling with family. But it’s not an option for those travelling with kids. As more and more countries open their borders in the coming months solely to vaccinated tourists, those travelling with kids will find their options limited,’’ he added.
Iceland, for instance, demands a vaccination certificate and a negative RT-PCR test report on arrival.
Of India’s 1.3 billion population, around 450 million are under 18 and so aren’t eligible yet to be vaccinated. Moreover, according to media reports, India’s first round of vaccination for minors would be limited to those over the age of 12 years.
There are options for family holidays though. Russia, for instance, demands a printed RT-PCR negative test report issued less than 72 hours before arrival and so does Egypt. There is no quarantine on arrival. Serbia, too, demands a negative RT-PCR report, taken up to 48 hours before departure, but offers an exemption to children under the age of 12 years.
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