High Commission of India

Ottawa

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PRESS RELEASE

Guidelines for International Arrivals in India

Government of India has reviewed the guidelines for international travellers followed by airlines and points of entry into India through Airports, Seaports and Land border.  The revised Standard Operating Procedure shall be effective from 14^th February 2022 till further orders.  The important points of the revised guidelines are as under :

A. Planning for Travel

All travellers are required to do the following before planning for their travel :

(a)  Submit complete and factual information in self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal (https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration) before the scheduled travel, including last 14 days travel details;

(b)  Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report (The test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey)

Or

Certificate of completing full primary vaccination schedule of COVID-19 vaccination.

(c)  submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise;

(d)  Give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority any post-arrival requirement to undergo home / institutional quarantine / self-health monitoring, as warranted.

B. Before Boarding and during Travel

(e)  Do’s and Don'ts shall be provided along with ticket to the travellers by the airlines / agencies concerned.

(f)  Airlines shall allow boarding to only those passengers who have filled in all the information in the Self Declaration Form on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report or Covid-19 vaccination certificate of having completed the primary vaccination schedule.

(g)  At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board after thermal screening.

(h) All passengers shall be advised to download AarogyaSetu app on their mobile devices.

(i)  During in-flight crew shall ensure that COVID appropriate behaviour is followed at all times. If any passenger reports symptoms of COVID-19 during flight, he/she shall be isolated as per protocol.

C. On Arrival in India

(j)  De-boarding should be done ensuring physical distancing.

(k)  Thermal screening would be carried out in respect of all the passengers by the health officials present at the airport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown to the airport health staff.

(l)  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 / co-passengers seated in the same row, 3 rows in front and 3 rows behind along with identified Cabin Crew shall be identified and managed as per laid down protocol.

(m) Post arrival following protocol shall also be followed

   (i)  A sub-section (2% of the total passengers in the flight) shall undergo random post-arrival testing at the airport on arrival.

   (ii)  Such travellers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines (preferably from different countries). They will submit the samples and shall be allowed to leave the airport.

   (iii)  If such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network.

   (iv)  They shall be treated/isolated as per laid down standard protocol.

(n)  All travellers will self-monitor their health for next 14 days of arrival.

(o)  If travellers under self-health monitoring, develop signs and symptoms suggestive of COVID19, they will immediately self-isolate and report to their nearest health facility or call National helpline number (1075)/ State Helpline Number.

(p)  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 the period of self-monitoring period, they shall undergo testing and treated as per laid down protocol.

Ottawa
15^th February 2022

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