Dubai: India has made a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report within 72 hours of departure and more safety regulations mandatory for passengers from the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
Passengers from these nations might be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at the Indian airports concerned (port of entry), Indian ministries of health and civil aviation have announced.
The latest safety protocols under the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which might be also applicable to all passengers from the UAE to India will come into impact from Tuesday, February 23.
The new guidelines have been issued to reduce the risk of importation of mutant strains of COVID-19.
They also aim to segregate travelers arriving from/transiting through the UK, Brazil, and South Africa (during the past 14 days) in-flight or whereas disembarking to facilitate the authorities to follow the due protocol in respect of these travelers.
As per the new SOP, the entry airports for flight services would be decided by the Ministry of Civil Aviation based on the bilateral/ Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flights.
All international travelers coming, transiting by flights originating from United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East must submit a self-declaration form (SDF) for COVID-19 on the Air Suvidha section of New Delhi Airport’s website.
They’re also required to declare their travel history for the past 14 days and upload the negative RT-PCR test report.
Every passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise, the SOP stated.
Before they are allowed to undertake the journey, they should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, by airlines concerned, that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo home quarantine/ self-monitoring of their health for 14 days, or as warranted.
Passengers may also be able to access an online booking facility for on-arrival molecular testing through Air Suvidha.
Whereas filling SDF, other than offering all different info required within the SDF, these passengers need to follow the steps mentioned below.
A. Mention whether they plan to disembark at the arrival airport or take further flights to reach their final destination in India.
B. Based on this selection, the receipt of SDF (dispatched online to the transiting travelers) will display “T” (Transit) in easily readable and bigger font than other text.
C. The passengers will need to display this receipt to state authority/authorities officials at the airport for segregation.
Airlines have been advised to allow boarding only those passengers who’ve filled within the SDF on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report.
At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travelers will be allowed to board after the thermal screening.
All passengers shall be advised to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.
Thermal screening could be carried out in respect of all of the passengers by the health officers present at the airport.
The self-declaration form stuffed on-line shall be shown to the airport health staff.
The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to a medical facility as per health protocol.
All travelers from Europe and the Middle East other than those in flights originating from Brazil, South Africa, and the UK who have to exit the destination airport or take connecting flights to their final domestic destination should follow the following steps.
A: Shall give samples at the designated area and exit the airport.
B: The state authorities/airport operators concerned will collect and convey the test report to the traveler.
C: If the test report is negative, they will be advised to self-monitor their health for 14 days.
D: If the test report is positive, they will bear treatment as per standard health protocol.
An entry made in the SDF regarding telephone number and address would be reconfirmed.
Airports can provide options to the passengers to do the on-line booking of the confirmatory molecular test by the respective website (Air Suvidha portal) or different appropriate platforms as well as do the offline booking
Once passengers arrive at the entry airport, Airport Operator should lay down a well-defined flow for such passengers at their respective arrival terminals leading to the waiting lounges and to the exit from the terminal
As far as possible digital payment facilities should be ensured, the SOP stated.
The state and union territory government governments have been informed to set up helpdesks at airports concerned to facilitate the implementation of the new SOP.
Arrival in India without a negative RT-PCR report shall be allowed only for those traveling to India in the exigency of death in the family.
If they wish to seek such exemption, they shall apply to the online portal of Air Suvidha through the New Delhi Airport’s website at least 72 hours before boarding.
International travelers on a short stay (less than 14 days) and who’ve 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 nation.
