In view of growing concerns over Omicron, a new variant of Covid-19, the Health Ministry on Sunday revised its guidelines for international travellers arriving in India with effect from December 1. As per the guidelines, travellers will have to submit 14 days travel details on the online Air Suvidha portal before the scheduled travel along with the self-declaration form.
They will also have to upload a negative Covid RT-PCR report and the test should have been conducted within 72 hours before undertaking the journey. Each person shall also submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise.
Furthermore, persons coming from specified countries at risk will have to test for Covid and wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or connecting to a flight. If tested negative, they will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days, retest on the eighth day of arrival in India and if negative, further self-monitor their health for the next 7 days.
“However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing to the INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be managed at a separate isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocols including contact tracing,” the Ministry said. The contacts of such positive cases should be kept under institutional quarantine or at home quarantine monitored strictly by the concerned State Government in line with the laid down protocol.
For those coming from countries other than the “At Risk” category, a random of 5 per cent of such travellers will have to undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival. If they are tested negative, they will have to self-monitor for 14 days and if positive, then their samples will be sent for genome sequencing.
International travellers arriving through seaports/ land ports will have to submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities of Government at the seaports/land ports on arrival.