Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), on Thursday announced that he had designed a Rs 10-crore fund to extend economic assistance to students travelling abroad for education. As SII’s Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, was not but accepted in these nations students have to incur substantial quarantine charges.
Some nations have not authorized the Covishield vaccine as an accepted vaccine for travel without the need of quarantine so Indian students going to these nations for larger research have to incur more costs on testing and institutional quarantine.
Poonawalla tweeted that he would set aside Rs 10 crore and students could apply for economic assistance if they required it. This was a individual contribution from him. Poonawalla had in June acknowledged that a lot of Indians who had taken the Covishield had been facing concerns with travel to the European Union and has promised to take it up at the highest levels and resolve the matter with regulators and at a diplomatic level with nations.
Till date sixteen European nations have recognised Covishield made in India as an acceptable vaccine for entry. However, 15 nations have not but accepted Covishield and have distinct entry suggestions.
After placing India on the red list for travel restrictions, the UK government has announced that from Sunday (August 8), 4 am, India would move to the Amber list with a lot easier testing and quarantine guidelines.
Indian students have to face travel restrictions, if they have not been completely vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency for Europe, Swissmedic for Switzerland and the Food and Drug Administration for the US.