From today, negative COVID-19 test report and seven days' quarantine mandatory for international travellers to India

• Centre has rolled out a new set of guidelines for international travellers arriving in India in wake of the newly emerged Omicron variant.
• Travellers from ‘at risk’ countries will need to have a mandatory negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test report, which will be conducted upon arrival in India.
• Travellers won’t be able to enter the country if they fail to fulfill these two requirements — a self declaration form and a negative report of COVID-19.

The central government of India has rolled out a new set of guidelines for international travellers arriving in India in wake of the newly emerged Omicron COVID-19 variant. The new rules will be implemented from December 1.

From today, December 1, passengers flying or transitioning from countries affected by the new Omicron strain will need to have a mandatory negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test report, which will be conducted upon arrival in India.

However, children aged below 5 years are exempted from both pre and post-COVID-19 testing.


According to the tweet by the government of India, all travellers will have to submit their past 14 days travel history and upload negative COVID-19 results on the government’s website named ‘Air Suvidha Portal’.

Travellers won’t be able to enter the country if they fail to fulfill these two requirements — a self declaration form and a negative report of COVID-19.

Passengers travelling from these countries — South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel — will have to wait at the airport for their COVID-19 test results at arrival.

If the passengers found to be negative will have to go under a 7-day home quarantine and will have to take another test on the 8th day.

According to media reports, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday, also issued an order asking airports to have a separate holding area for passengers travelling from ‘at risk’ countries waiting for COVID-19 results.

If passengers test positive for COVID-19, they will be isolated and treated as per the clinical management protocol besides their samples will also be taken for genome sequencing test.

Furthermore, 5% of the travellers travelling from countries, which are not ‘at risk’ will also be tested for COVID-19 on a random basis at the airport.

Alarm bells for the Omicron variant have already started ringing in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Two travellers in Karnataka, and another one in Thane district of Maharashtra ⁠— all three were travelling from South Africa ⁠— have tested positive for COVID-19.

The authorities are still waiting for the genome sequencing reports to confirm whether it is the new Omicron variant or not, according to latest reports.

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