New Delhi: The government on Saturday announced that RT-PCR tests will be mandatory for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand as Covid cases continue to surge worldwide.
The development comes a day after the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held a meeting with state ministers to discuss the current Covid situation and ensure that the country is ready to check the spread of the virus.
“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,” Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
The Air Suvidha forms filling to declare current health status shall also be made compulsory for international passengers arriving from these countries. Air Suvidha is a self-declaration form which was introduced as Covid prevention measure and was meant to understand contact tracing during the pandemic. It is currently required from all travellers who wish to enter India.
He added, “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.”
In a meeting that was held on Friday, the health minister asked the states to strengthen the surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants to ensure timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country. He also advised ramping up vaccination of all eligible populations, especially of the elderly and vulnerable population groups. He also cautioned against spreading misinformation by ensuring dissemination of factually correct information in a timely manner.