Home quarantine not required for travellers from 11 countries: Revised guidelines explained

Home quarantine not required for travellers from 11 countries: Revised guidelines explained.

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The new Standard Operating Procedure shall be valid from October 25 till further orders. (Representative image)

The revised guidelines for international travellers coming to India came into force early this week. The quarantine requirement has been eased in certain cases. Travellers from 11 countries are no longer required to stay in home quarantine. Relaxation is also available to travellers from the countries with which India has a reciprocal arrangement over the approval for a Covid-19 vaccine.

WHO GETS THE BENEFIT?

• Travellers from the UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia don’t require to undergo home quarantine.
• These are the countries with which India has signed agreements for mutual recognition of nationally or World Health Organisation-recognised Covid-19 vaccines.

CAN A PERSON FROM ANY OF THESE COUNTRIES TRAVEL WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTION?

• The traveller is required to submit a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal ahead of the scheduled trip.
• The traveller is also required to upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report herself on the Air Suvidha portal.
• The airliner has to make sure that no traveller boards a flight without showing a “negative” lab report for Covid-19. The authenticity of the lab report is the responsibility of the traveller.
• Finally, the traveller is required to self-monitor her health for 14 days after arrival in India.

WHAT IF THE FLYER IS UNVACCINATED OR PARTIALLY VACCINATED?

• After submitting their sample for Covid-19 test at the point of arrival in India, the travellers would be allowed to leave the airport.
• But the traveller needs to stay in home quarantine for seven days, and get tested for Covid-19 again on the eighth day of her arrival in India.
• If the test report is negative for Covid-19, the traveller is required to self-monitor her health for next seven days for any symptom of coronavirus infection.

WHAT ABOUT TRAVELLERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES?

The travellers from other countries would have to follow the same protocol as unvaccinated persons coming to India. They are required to undergo Covid-19 tests on the point of entry and the eighth day from arrival in India. If tests are negative, such a person needs to self-monitor her health for another seven days.

The revised guidelines have identified some countries at risk fresh Covid-19 outbreak. A traveller from these countries such as Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe also needs to follow additional protocol on arrival in India.

WHAT ABOUT SYMPTOMATIC TRAVELLERS?

No Covid-19 positive person is allowed to board an India-bound flight. However, if a traveller develops symptoms of Covid-19 during the course of journey, the airline crew are required to isolate such a person as per the coronavirus protocol.

WHAT IF SOMEBODY ARRIVES THROUGH SEA OR LAND ROUTES?

All international travellers arriving in India including through seaports or land ports will have to undergo the same protocol.

In cases where online submission of Covid-19 related certificates or declarations is not available, the travellers are required to submit a self-declaration for adhering to Covid-19 protocol to concerned authorities at the land or sea ports on arrival in India.