The government also plans to require RT-PCR testing for people returning from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea, the officials said.
“In the past, whenever a covid-19 wave was reported in India, it used to hit us in 30-35 days, starting from East Asia, it used to hit Europe in 10 days, moving towards America and the Pacific region and then finally hitting India which normally take 30 days," one of the officials said, requesting anonymity.
The official said that the number of deaths and hospitalization is likely to be low this time, even if India is hit by a covid wave by the end of January.“We have developed hybrid immunity (from vaccine plus natural infection), so covid-19 wave may not affect us the same way as it is being reported in countries like China, Japan etc."
“The government may make mandatory filling up of ‘Air Suvidha’ forms for travellers from six countries under which 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing would be made compulsory from the coming week," said the second official.
Queries sent to the spokesperson for the health ministry did not elicit any response.
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.
While the Central 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.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya may soon visit and inspect the airport to review the testing and screening facilities being done for international passengers.
