Covid report mandatory for flyers from China from 1 Jan; no travel ban yet
RT-PCR test reports required for all flyers entering India from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1 January 2023
Meeting with pharma companies via video conferencing; source - GoI
The Ministry of Health has made it mandatory for passengers flying from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand to get their RT-PCR test done before departing to India. The new rules will be in effect from 1 January 2023.
Minister of Health, Mansukh Mandaviya, said, “They will have to upload their reports on the Air Suvidha portal before travel.” However, details of this decision are unknown.
The test should have been conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey to India.
This is in addition to the random 2% tests of all international passengers in all incoming international flights on their arrival to India irrespective of port of departure.
It is likely, the government will allow the infected people too and may be planning to quarantine them after the planes land in India.
This decision comes amid demand for a complete travel ban to and from the affected countries. Also, China, where the new Covid variant is currently spreading rapidly, stopped providing daily reports on infections and deaths following a surge in cases, while easing measures for people flying into China – a deadly combination that could spread the variant rapidly across the world.
As of 29 December 2022, India recorded 268 new Covid cases in 24 hours, with daily positivity rate of 0.11%, and weekly positivity rate of 0.17%.
Some reports suggest Covid cases could spike in India in mid-January 2023.
Meanwhile, Mandaviya reviewed the availability and production of Covid related medicines in the country. Pharma companies have been asked to monitor their supply chains closely, given reports suggesting China may be buying Indian medicines through proxy companies.
Send your comments to feedback@mddtimes.com
