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Centre does away with 'at-risk' nations category, 7-day home quarantine as Covid eases
Children below the age of 5 are exempted from pre and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for Covid on arrival or during the self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and treatment as per protocol, the health ministry said.
The Union ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday revised its guidelines for international arrivals in the wake of an improvement in the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic crisis.
The latest guidelines that will be effective from February 14 removed the demarcation of ‘at-risk’ and other countries.
Further, the health ministry recommended 14 days of self-monitoring post-arrival as against a seven-day home quarantine which was mandated earlier.
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According to the latest rules, passengers travelling to India should submit complete and factual information in the self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha Portal (https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration) before the scheduled travel, including travel details of the last 14 days.
Passengers will have to upload a negative RT-PCR test report within 72 hours before undertaking the journey or a certificate of completing the full primary vaccination schedule.
Airlines and agencies concerned should provide the dos and don'ts to travellers along with their tickets. Airlines are only allowed to board those passengers who have filled all details in the above self-declaration form and present their RT-PCR test report or vaccination certificate, the guidelines added.
Only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed inside the flight at the time of boarding. They have also been requested to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones.
In airports, in-flight announcements have to be made about Covid-19, including precautionary measures to be followed in flights and during transit, the health ministry said.
The in-flight crew has to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour is followed at all times and any passenger reporting symptoms have to be isolated as per protocol.
Upon arrival, de-boarding should be done to ensure physical distancing. All passengers will have to undergo thermal scanning at the airport and they will also have to present the self-declaration form to the health officials.
The health ministry also said that passengers who are found to be asymptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to a medical facility. If they test positive, their contacts have to be identified and managed as per the protocol.
Passengers who develop signs and symptoms during the 14 days of self-health monitoring, will immediately self isolate and report to the nearest health facility.
The above guidelines of the health ministry are also applicable for travellers arriving in India through seaports or land ports. However, the online registration facility is not available.
Such travellers will have to submit the self-declaration form to the government authorities concerned at seaports and land ports.
Children below the age of 5 are exempted from pre and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for Covid on arrival or during the self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and treatment as per protocol, the ministry said.
