Covid-19 testing is now mandatory for travellers coming to India from Thailand, five other countries

Dec 26, 2022

By: Vaamanaa Sethi

Credit: Pixabay

Government guidelines

Amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in many countries in the world, the Indian health ministry has mandated that all travellers coming to India from five different countries–China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong–need to take the Covid-19 RT-PCR test on arrival.

Credit: Pixabay

Random Testing

Random testing of international passengers has started again at the Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad airports. Travellers who test positive for the virus or show similar symptoms will be immediately quarantined.

Credit: Pixabay

China

According to Chinese officials cited by IANS, about 250 million people were infected with Covid-19 in the first 20 days of December. Also, new Omicron variant BF.7 is said to be currently dominant in the country.

Credit: Pixabay

Japan

Japan recorded 371 deaths from Covid-19 on December 26— which is the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The country is currently going through eighth wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

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South Korea

The country has witnessed more than 20,000 cases over a period of time. On Monday, it recorded over 25,000 new cases and 67 new deaths due to Covid-19.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong recorded over 20,000 cases of Covid-19 in a single day last week, on Friday, December 23.

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Thailand

According to Johns Hopkins Covid-19 live tracker, Thailand has reported over 14,564 cases in the last 28 days.

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Travellers flying from these countries will have to fill out the Air Suvidha form

and declare their current health status before entering India.

Credit: Delhi Airport

India’s current Covid-19 status

The country recorded 227 new cases on Sunday - a slight rise compared to last week. PM Modi, the Union Health Ministry, and Mumbai’s Civic Body, have all urged people to mask-up, especially in crowded places, and exercise caution.

Credit: NM

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