New guideline for international passengers amid Omicron surge

The new rules came into effect on Tuesday for all travelers coming to India from abroad due to the growing coronavirus infection around the world. India has made it mandatory for all International Passengers to stay in Home Quarantine for seven days upon arrival and undergo RT-PCR test on the eighth day.

In view of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, revised guidelines have been issued in this regard and restrictions on international travelers have been increased. The guidelines issued will come into effect from January 11, i.e. today, and will remain in force till further government orders. Under current rules, which are maintained in the revised guidelines, travelers from countries listed as at risk will have to submit their samples for corona test upon arrival and wait for test results to exit the airport or board the next (connecting) flight to the destination. Those whose tests confirm the infection will be sent to a quarantine center.

If the test report is negative, they will have to stay in the home quarantine for seven days and then on the eighth day they will be tested for RT-PCR. They will have to upload the results of the test conducted on the 8th day on the Air Facilities Portal (for monitoring of the concerned States / UTs). If the test report is negative, they will have to monitor their own health for the next seven days. Upon arrival of passengers from non-risk countries, they must stay at home for seven days, and passengers from risk countries must comply with all other protocols. The list of countries from which travelers are required to comply with additional measures includes the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Israel, Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zambia. These additional measures also include post-arrival testing (upon arrival from countries at risk).

Countries that, on the other hand, are not at risk. 2% of the passengers coming from countries that are not in the 'at-risk' list shall undergo random testing at the Airport on arrival. According to the revised guidelines, these 2 per cent passengers on each flight will be identified by the respective airline. Laboratories will prioritize testing of these passenger samples. International travelers arriving at the seaport will also have to go through the entire process. However, there is currently no online registration facility for such passengers. Also those who come in contact with these passengers will have to stay 14 days in isolation.