On Sunday, August 2, the Ministry of Health & Welfare Organisation issued revised guidelines for passengers arriving in India. These guidelines will come into effect from 8 August 2020. As per the orders, all travellers have to submit a self-declaration form on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel. They also have to provide an undertaking on the portal that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days, which includes 7 days of paid institutional quarantine at their own cost and 7 days of isolation at home with self-monitoring of health.
However, for compelling cases such as pregnancy, death in the family, serious illness and parent(s) with children of the age of 10 years or below, home quarantine may be allowed for all 14 days. To seek such exemption, they are required to apply to the online portal at least 72 hours before boarding. The government’s decision will be communicated on the online portal and shall be final.
If a traveller wishes to seek exemption from institutional quarantine, he/she may take an RTPCR test within 96 hours prior to undertaking the journey and submit a negative test report on arrival and also upload it on the portal. The passenger should also submit a declaration of the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise.
At the time of boarding the flight or ship, only asymptomatic travellers shall be allowed to proceed after the thermal screening. If, after arriving in the country and going through thermal screening in India, a passenger test positive, he/she will be assessed on the following grounds:
- Passengers who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, or those with very mild cases, will be allowed home isolation or isolated in the COVID Care Centre as appropriate.
- Passengers with mild/moderate/severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID Health facilities and managed accordingly.
Passengers arriving through land borders will also have to undergo the same protocol as above. Additionally, all passengers will be advised to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones. During boarding and at the airports, all possible measures to ensure social distancing shall be ensured.
