New Delhi, India: The spike in Covid cases have wreaked havoc in China and recent reports show a huge surge in covid cases worldwide, the government of India on Saturday (Dec 24) announced that RT-PCR tests will be made compulsory for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand.
The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was quoted as saying by media agency ANI “RT-PCR test to be mandatory for international arrivals from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand. On arrival, if any passenger from these countries is found symptomatic or tests positive for Covid19, then he/she will be put under quarantine”.
The Air Suvidha forms filling to declare current health status shall now also be mandatory for international passengers arriving from these countries. Air Suvidha is a self-declaration form that was introduced as Covid prevention measure and was meant to understand contact tracing during the pandemic. It is currently required for all travelers who wish to enter India.
“Air Suvidha portal will be implemented for passengers arriving from these countries and RT-PCR tests will be mandatory for them. After arriving in India, if they test positive, they’ll be quarantined”, the minister mentioned.
India started the random Covid testing of international arriving passengers at airports on Saturday to prevent the possible spread of the infection in the country. Two percent of passengers arriving on each international flight will be subject to random coronavirus testing at airports.
