A negative Covid-19 test report will be mandatory for passengers travelling to India from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from January 1, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday.
Flyers from these countries will have to upload their test reports on the government’s Air Suvidha portal before their departure, Mandaviya said in a tweet.
RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1st January 2023. They will have to upload their reports on the Air Suvidha portal before travel.
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 29, 2022
The move comes amidst an uptick in Covid-19 cases in China and East Asian countries.
Meanwhile, Health ministry sources said Wednesday that India might see a surge in cases in January, citing patterns observed during previous waves. Officials, however, said an increase in hospitalisation and deaths is unlikely.
“We have seen during the three previous waves that any surge reported in East Asian countries hits Europe in about 10 days, the Americas in another 10 days, and the Pacific island countries in another 10 days. The surge reaches India in 30 to 35 days. So, it is crucial that people stay cautious during the month of January,” Health ministry officials said.
Covid-19 cases in the country continue to be low – 188 new cases were reported over the previous 24 hours – even as a global increase has been noted over the last six weeks. The government re-introduced random sampling of international travellers December 24 onward, with nearly 6,000 passengers tested over the last three days. Of these, 39 were found to be positive, according to officials. The government, however, isn’t looking to ban travel or enforce any mask mandate.
