Travellers have to undergo RT-PCR test before departure and upload the report on Air Suvidha portal from 1 January 2023. This is in addition to the 2% random testing of all international passengers on their arrival to the airport.
“International passengers travelling from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand to India will be mandatorily required to undergo RTPCR tests before their departure from these countries/destinations and upload the COVID negative RTPCR test report on Air Suvidha portal from 1st January 2023. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey to India," said the ministry in a statement.
This is being done in view of the evolving Covid-19 situation across the world, particularly in the Asian countries.
While the government has started random sampling and testing of 2% of foreign travellers at Delhi airport, in the last two days, more than 6,000 international travellers have been scanned, out of which 39 passengers have tested covid-19 positive.
Government officials warned that the next 40 days would be crucial in determining the possibility of a resurgence of covid-19 cases in India as they urged people to follow safety protocols and complete their vaccination doses.
The covid-19 wave, at present, is dominated by Omicron sub-variant BF.7 with a high transmission rate. An infected individual can spread the infection to around 16 people.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya may soon visit and inspect the airport to review the testing and screening facilities being done for international passengers.
