India Issues Revised Guidelines For People Arriving From Abroad

The Indian health ministry on Thursday  issued a revised guidelines for international arrivals .
According to the new guidelines, those who travelling into India from abroad can avoid institutional or home quarantining by submitting a covid19 negative certificate from an RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey.

Earlier, the test needs to be conducted within 96 hours before the journey. Now, the time
as reduced to 72 hours. Other than that, only for compelling reasons/cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parents with children of the age of 10 years or below, exemption from institutional quarantine will be provided in absence of a negative test certificate. Passengers opting for exemption under these categories will still have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

Also, according to the previous rule, the passenger could only exempt institutional quarantine even when they submit a a negative RT-PCR test report. They were mandated to undertake home quarantine. This time, as long as the passenger could submit a negative RT-PCR test report, they would be free from home as well as institutional quarantines.

Procedure for seeking exemption from quarantine

All travelers need to submit self-declaration form on the online portal — http://www.newdelhiairport.in — at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel, or physically after arrival at the respective health counters. If they wish to seek such exemption under the categories of human distress, they have to apply on the aforementioned online portal at least 72 hours before boarding. For passengers who have a negative RT-PCR test report, the same can be furnished upon arrival to seek exemption from quarantine.

If a passenger does not get an RT-PCR test done…

According to the guidelines, international passengers arriving without an RT-PCR negative certificate and wishing to seek exemption from institutional quarantine may also avail the facility available at the airports to undergo RT-PCR testing, where such provisions exist. Currently, airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Cochin are offering RT-PCR testing facilities at their respective arrival halls. However, international passengers arriving without RT-PCR negative certificate and not opting for RT-PCR test at airport, where facility is available, or are arriving at an airport where testing facility is not available will have to undergo mandatory seven days institutional quarantine and seven days home quarantine.

The revised guidelines announced by the union government also gives permission to
the state governments to impose more restrictions if they need.