In the wake of the rising COVID cases across the globe the government on 29 December made negative RT-PCR report mandatory for flyers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from January 1, 2023. Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya added that the passengers from China, 5 other places will have to upload negative COVID-19 report on air suvidha portal before travel.
Health experts have predicted India will see a Covid surge in January. Cases are projected to rise over the next 40 days. The alert has been sounded based on the previous year's readings. Following the surge, India has begun to maintain a close watch on the pandemic ahead of New Year celebrations. Neither the central government nor those in states and union territories have imposed restrictions so far, but they have urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Hospitals across the country conducted a mock drill this week to ensure readiness to deal with any eventuality related to Covid-19.