New Rules For Foreign Arrivals: No RT-PCR Test For Flight, No Quarantine 

New Rules For Foreign Arrivals: No RT-PCR Test For Flight, No Quarantine. The government on Thursday revised guidelines for international arrivals, removing the category of ‘at risk’ countries – introduced when the Omicron Covid variant emerged – and also recommending self-monitoring of 14 days for symptoms against the current seven days of home quarantine.

The new guidelines will come into effect from Monday, February 14, the Union Health Ministry said.

The ministry stressed the “need to monitor the continuously changing” COVID-19 virus but also acknowledged that “economic activities need to be taken up in an unhindered manner”.

New Rules For Foreign Arrivals: No RT-PCR Test For Flight, No Quarantine. According to the new guidelines, all foreign arrivals must fill a self-declaration form online (available at the Air Suvidha web portal), including a travel history of the past 14 days.

They must also upload a negative RT-PCR test that was conducted within 72 hours of the travel date.

Alternatively, they can also upload a certificate confirming they have received both vaccine doses.

This option, however, is only available for passengers arriving from 72 countries whose vaccination programmes the Indian government recognises as part of a reciprocal programme.

These countries include Canada, Hong Kong, the United States, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Qatar, Australia, New Zealand, and some European nations.

“Airlines (will) allow boarding (of) only those passengers who have filled in all the information in the self-declaration form… and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report or COVID-19 vaccination certificate…”

On arrival, in addition to thermal screening, passengers selected at random (up to two per cent of total passengers per flight) will be asked to undergo RT-PCR tests.

Passengers will be selected by the airline and must “preferably” be from different countries.

Passengers found to be symptomatic will be immediately quarantined and tested, with contact tracing carried out if they are found to be Covid-positive.

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