As per the latest travel guidelines, travellers arriving in India from any country and testing positive will not mandatorily be managed at an isolation facility. They will however be treated/isolated as per the laid down standard protocol, not essentially at an isolation facility.
Now, as per the revised guidelines for international arrivals that have been recently released, the new norm will come into effect from January 22, 2022, and will remain in place until further orders. Reports also have it that the rest of the provisions will remain the same in the revised guidelines. As per the existing guidelines, travellers coming from any country, including from those considered ‘at-risk', will be managed at an isolation facility, and will be treated as per the said standard protocols.
The recently announced revised guidelines have removed the clause that made staying at an isolation facility mandatory upon arrival. Those found to be symptomatic during screening will be isolated immediately and taken to a medical facility as per health protocol. Contacts of those who are found positive shall be identified and managed as per protocol.
However, do note that foreign arrivals who test positive, will still have to undergo home quarantine for seven days, and even if they test negative, they will have to undergo RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.
The global trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic continues to decline with certain regional variations. The need to monitor the continuously changing nature of virus and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) must still remain in focus. The existing guidelines for international arrivals in India have been formulated taking a risk-based approach. The existing guidelines have been revised in view of reporting of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.1.529; named Omicron) which has been classified as Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization.
This document provides protocols to be complied by international travellers as well as those to be followed by airlines and all points of entry (airports, seaports and land border).
This Standard Operating Procedure shall be valid w.e.f. 11th January 2022 (00.01 Hrs IST) till further orders. Based on the risk assessment, this document shall be reviewed from time to time.
Planning for Travel
All travellers should
Before Boarding
During Travel
On arrival
The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facility as per health protocol. If tested positive, their contacts shall be identified and managed as per laid down protocol.
Travellers from specified Countries at risk [as mentioned in para (iii) and (iv) above] will follow the protocol as detailed below:
Submission of sample for post-arrival COVID-19 test* at the point of arrival (self-paid). Such travellers will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.
If tested negative they will follow, home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake RT- PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India*.
Travelers shall also be required to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test for COVID-19 done on 8th day on Air Suvidha portal (to be monitored by the respective States/UTs).
If negative, they will further self-monitor their health for next 7 days.
However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network.
They shall be managed at isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol including contact tracing mentioned in para (xvii).
The contacts of such positive case should be kept under home quarantine monitored strictly by the concerned State Government as per laid down protocol.
Travellers from Countries excluding those in referred to in para (iii) and (iv) above, will follow the protocol as below:
A sub-section (2% of the total flight passengers) shall undergo post-arrival testing at random at the airport on arrival.
These 2% of such travellers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines (preferably from different countries).
Laboratories shall prioritize testing of samples from such travellers.
All travellers (including those 2% who were selected for random testing on arrival and were found negative) will undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India*.
Travelers shall also be required to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test for COVID-19 done on 8th day on Air Suvidha portal (to be monitored by the respective States/UTs).
If negative, they will further self-monitor their health for next 7 days.
However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network.
They shall be managed at isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol including contact tracing mentioned in para (xvii).
If travellers under home quarantine or self-health monitoring, develop signs and symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 on re-testing, they will immediately self- isolate and report to their nearest health facility or call National helpline number (1075)/ State Helpline Number.
International travellers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, except that facility for online registration is not available for such passengers currently.
Such travellers shall submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities of Government of India at seaports/land ports on arrival.
* Children under 5 years of age are exempted from both pre- and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during home quarantine period, they shall undergo testing and treated as per laid down protocol.
# Contacts of the suspect case are the co-passengers seated in the same row, 3 rows in front and 3 rows behind along with identified Cabin Crew. Also, all the community contacts of those travellers who have tested positive (during home quarantine period) would be subjected to quarantine for 14 days and tested as per ICMR protocol.
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