The emergence of a new Omicron strain of coronavirus has made the government cautious about resuming international flights. It issued new guidelines on Sunday, listing about a dozen "at risk" countries and removing exemptions for people who are vaccinated.
The rules are in place to prevent the spread of the Omicron type:
After a long hiatus of over 20 months, the government had on November 26 announced the resumption of scheduled international commercial flights from December 15. The flights are currently operating under a bilateral bubble arrangement with the countries.
What are the countries "at risk"?
These are the countries where cases of the Omicron strain have been found. The variant was first found in southern Africa and has since spread to several countries.
According to the new guidelines issued by the government, the UK, all of Europe and 11 countries - South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel - are "at risk".
Rules for travelers coming from 'at risk' countries
Passengers traveling to or transiting from at-risk countries will have to undergo RT-PCR test on arrival in India and wait for the results before leaving the airport or taking a connecting flight, as per the revised guidelines issued. Ministry of Health.
Passengers who test positive will be taken to a medical facility for isolation, where they will be required to stay until they test negative if they are indeed infected with the Omicron variant. If they are infected in any other way, their release will be at the discretion of a doctor depending on their condition.
For those who test negative after coming from the listed countries, they will have to remain in home quarantine and undergo another test on the eighth day. If they are positive, they will have to report on the Covid-19 helpline, the guidelines said.
These passengers will also have to give their travel history for the last 14 days.
The spread of the Omicron version
As of Sunday at least nine countries have confirmed traces of the super mutated strain. The version b.1.1.1.529 was designated as the "Version of Concern" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.
Status in india
A Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) official said on Sunday that a person who returned to Dombivli in Maharashtra's Thane district from South Africa has recently tested positive for coronavirus.
The official said it was not confirmed whether the patient had the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which was identified by the WHO as a type of concern.
Their samples are being sent for genome sequencing to check for the presence of the Omicron variant. The man had come to Dombivli from Cape Town on November 24.
