In a major announcement, the centre has issued new guidelines for international air passengers arriving in India which will be effective from December 1. As per the new protocols travellers from ‘at-risk’ countries will need to take Covid test post-arrival and wait for results at the airport. In case, if they fail to provide, they would be sent to government-identified quarantine centres.
Let us have a look at some of the guidelines issued by the Centre
International flyers coming in or transiting from countries affected by the new Covid variant Omicron will need a mandatory negative report of RT-PCR test conducted on arrival in India for leaving the airport. In case, if they fail to provide, they would be sent to government-identified quarantine centres.
The updated guidelines require all travellers (irrespective of COVID-19 vaccination status) coming to India from countries identified as ‘countries at-risk’ to mandatorily undergo post-arrival COVID-19 testing at airport on arrival in addition to pre-departure COVID-19 testing undertaken 72 hours before the departure.
The travellers have to submit the self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha Portal before the scheduled travel and to submit the last 14 days travel details.
5 percent of the total flight passengers shall be randomly tested post-arrival at the airport.
According to the revised list, the ‘countries at risk’ include countries in Europe including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.
For passengers found positive in these tests, they will be isolated and treated as per the clinical management protocol besides their samples also taken for Whole Genome Sequencing.
The passengers found negative can depart the airport but have to undergo home isolation for 7 days, followed by repeat testing on the 8th day of arrival in India, followed by 7 days of self-monitoring.
Samples of all individuals testing positive for Covid-19, either at airports under home isolation or during random sampling, will also be sent for Whole Genomic Sequencing at identified INSACOG network laboratories to determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants (including Omicron).