India’s new travel rules from today: All international passengers must submit 14 days’ travel history and upload negative Covid test results on the Air Suvidha portal.
Amid renewed fears over a new Covid variant ‘Omicron’, the government has issued new rules for international travellers arriving in India. These were announced following a high-level meeting to review public health preparedness with states and UTs. All international passengers must submit 14 days’ travel history and upload negative Covid test results on the Air Suvidha portal. The new travel guidelines are effective from today, December 1, 2021.
- Airlines to allow boarding by only those passengers who have filled in the Self Declaration Form on the Air Suvidha portal, uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report.
- Passengers originating or transiting from at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post-arrival testing, quarantine if tested negative, stringent isolation protocols if tested positive
- All travellers should upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report. This test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey.
- According to an updated list, the countries designated as “at-risk” are the European countries, the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.
- Such passengers will also undergo RT-PCR tests post-arrival. They will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.
- If tested negative they will follow, home quarantine for 7 days. Re-test on the 8th day of arrival in India* and if negative, further self-monitor of their health for next 7 days.
- However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing at the INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be managed at a separate isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol including contact tracing mentioned.
- The contacts of such positive cases should be kept under institutional quarantine or at home quarantine monitored strictly by the concerned State Government as per laid down protocol.
- Travellers from Countries excluding those Countries at risk, will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days’ post-arrival.
The Omnicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected the South Africa and some other countries and has been declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation. The Government of India has declared some countries as countries “at-risk”.
