New Delhi: International passengers entering India from today will have to abide by some new regulations issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry in view of mutant SARS-nCoV variants.
The fresh guidelines are applicable for all international travellers coming/transiting through flights originating from the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East.
Here are the new protocols:
Before Travel
All international travellers except the ones coming on flights from the UK, Europe and Middle East will have to submit a self-declaration form on Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled travel.
International passengers will have to upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report with exception of those travelling to India in the exigency of death in the family. For seeking exemption, the travelling person will have to apply in the online portal www.newdelhiairport.in at least 72 hours before boarding.
The test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to the journey and each passenger will also have to submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report.
International travellers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol, however, the facility for online registration is not available for such passengers at the moment.
All such clauses shall be applicable to travellers coming/transiting from flights originating in the UK, Europe and the Middle East except for clauses on testing, quarantine and isolation.
During Travel
All passengers need to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices. At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board after thermal screening.
Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection shall be ensured at the airports. During boarding all possible measures to ensure physical distancing need to be ensured.
For those taking connecting flights, airlines should keep the passengers informed about the need for the transit time of a minimum 6-8 hours at the entry airport (in India) for the required testing and other procedures while booking the tickets for connecting flights.
Upon Arrival
Airlines should identify the international travellers arriving from/transiting through the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa (during the past 14 days) and segregate them in-flight or while disembarking to facilitate the authorities to follow the due protocol in respect of these travellers.
All travellers arriving from/transiting through flights originating in the UK, Europe or the Middle East shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at the Indian airports concerned (port of entry).
The state-wise passenger manifest of the flights originating from Europe and the Middle East and landing at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai airports in India for the said period shall be conveyed by the Bureau of Immigration to State Government/Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.
International travellers on a short stay (of less than 14 days) and who have tested negative and remain symptom-free, shall undergo all the procedures as above and shall be permitted to leave India under proper intimation to their District/State health authorities, subject to them fulfilling the requirement of the airlines and destination country.
With IANS inputs.