With an outbreak of the pandemic’s third wave, the new travel rules and protocols have immediately come into effect from today i.e., 11th January 2022 onwards for international travelers coming to India and this will remain in effect till the Indian government next orders. The Union Health Ministry has said that all the incoming travelers to India will have to undergo mandatory one-week home isolation from today which will be followed by an RT-PCR test on the eighth day, once the home isolation gets over.
However, the existing norms have been retained in the revised rules, and based on that, travelers from the “at-risk” nations are required to submit the samples for the Covid test at the airport during the arrival and have to wait for the results before leaving or taking the connecting flight. The people found with a positive result will be immediately sent to the isolation facilities to curb the further spread.
Those who found negative are also required to undergo the seven days of self-isolation and have to get themselves done with the RT-PCR test the next day and if again they seem negative then they have to further self-monitor themselves for the next seven days. Also, such travelers are required to upload the results of the test on the portal of Air Suvidha to be further get monitored by Indian states and UTs.
Also note that the kids under 5 years of age are exempted from both pre-and post-arrival testing however if they are found with any symptoms of COVID-19 on arrival or during the home-isolation duration then, they are required to undergo the test and will be treated in accordance to the new protocols only.
Before beginning any journey, the travelers are required to upload their negative RT-PCR report conducted within 72 hours before their journey. Passengers have to submit a mandatory declaration for the authenticity of the report and shall be liable for criminal prosecution if something is found otherwise and guilty.
Guidelines for the countries which are “Not-At-Risk” are as follows:
- Mandatory 7 days home isolation
- Airlines coming from such countries will randomly pick 2% of travellers who will have to undergo a compulsory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airport.
- People found positive will be sent for isolation and those who are negative will have to follow the 7 days quarantine process.
Presently, the countries that are “At-Risk” are the UK, Brazil, South Africa, China, Botswana, Ghana, New Zealand, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Israel, Ethiopia, Israel, Congo, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Kenya, Tunisia, Zambia and all the countries of Europe.
