India has lifted mandatory seven-day quarantine for international passengers.
Under the new Covid-19 travel protocols announced today, passengers arriving in India will have to ‘self-monitor’ their health for 14 days. The Indian Union Health Ministry, however, added that travellers must isolate in case they show any symptoms of Covid-19.
The new guidelines will come into effect from February 14.
The ministry has also scrapped a separate set of rules for passengers flying from “at-risk” countries.
Passengers from 82 countries will also have the option of uploading their vaccination certificate on the Air Suvidha portal, instead of a negative RT-PCR report.
• The protocol applies to travellers arriving through seaports/land ports as well, except that facility for online registration is not available for such passengers currently. They can submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities of the government of India at the ports on arrival.
• International passengers will have to undergo thermal screening at the airport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown to the airport health staff.
• International passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facility as per health protocol. If tested positive, their contacts shall be identified and managed, as per protocols.
• A sub-section (two per cent of the total passengers in the flight) shall undergo random post-arrival testing at the airport on arrival. Such travellers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines (preferably from different countries). They will submit the samples and shall be allowed to leave the airport.
• If such travellers test positive, their samples will be sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be treated/isolated accordingly
• Before boarding a flight to India, passengers will have to fill up a self-declaration form and upload it on Air Suvidha portal, including the last 14 days’ travel details. Also, take a printout of the form submitted online.
• People can either upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report or a full vaccination certificate. The test should have been conducted 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.
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