COVID Tests Now Mandatory to Enter India for Passengers Flying from China

Passengers arriving from China or other Asian countries will have to pass a COVID screening before they are allowed into India.

As cases in the rest of the world declined, India relaxed its COVID travel rules not too long ago. However, certain passengers are now subject to border restrictions due to the recent wave of China and other countries.

Tests are required

The Indian government decided to test all foreign passengers who arrive in India from China or other countries, as a result of the COVID wave.
Authorities have identified countries where COVID cases are on the rise. These passengers will need to be subject to RT-PCR testing before they are allowed to depart the airport.

This list includes China, Thailand, and Japan as well as South Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, and South Korea. According to some reports, Singapore is also on the list. These new measures add to the newly introduced rule of random testing 2% of all international visitors by the Ministry of Health.

Major airports like Delhi (DEL), Mumbai, and Bengaluru have already implemented the 2% rule. The passengers will be identified by the airlines, preferably from different countries. After that, they will be permitted to leave the airport.

If a sample is positive, it will be sent to a designated laboratory for genomic testing. A copy of this report will be sent to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and APHOS.

Air Suvidha form for countries on the list

India eased entry regulations in November and also eliminated the requirement to complete a self-declaration form before any passengers could board their flight.

International passengers could use the Air Suvidha form to online declare their health status. Without this, they wouldn't be allowed to board. It was useful at the peak of the pandemic but most passengers found it unnecessary as the number of cases worldwide dropped.

Many passengers were delighted to see this requirement removed. Some even missed their flight because they couldn't fill it out in time.

New rules mean that all passengers from China or other countries on the list must submit the Air Suvidha form again. This applies only to the countries mentioned above, and passengers from other regions are only subject to random testing of 2%.

The US Biden administration confirmed that all Chinese passengers will have to submit to a negative COVID test in order to be allowed to enter the country.

It remains to see if other countries follow their lead.

 

Source: simpleflying.com