In view of rising global concerns over omicron, a highly contagious new variant of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), India is instituting from Tuesday midnight new rules for arriving international passengers, especially from ‘at-risk’ countries.

Under the new norms, there are separate protocols for travellers arriving from countries enlisted as “at risk” of the omicron variant and nations excluded from the said list. It involves detailed guidelines on testing, sampling, and quarantine of cases detected at the airport, if any.

Here is the guidebook for international arrivals to India under the new rules effective from December 1:

• All international travellers arriving in India will have to mandatorily fill up a self-declaration form (SDF) and upload their negative RT-PCR test reports.
• The availability of these negative RT-PCR test reports must be ensured by the airlines, before allowing the travellers to board the aircraft.

For travellers coming from countries ‘at risk’: These passengers will have to mandatorily undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival at the airport.

• If tested negative, they still have to undergo home quarantine for seven days and get re-tested on the eighth day; the passenger also needs to monitor their health for the next seven days, according to the new guidelines.
• If tested positive in the initial test or on repeat testing, the passenger will be admitted at a separate isolation facility while their sample will be sent for genomic testing. The treatment shall be conducted as per standard protocols, at the end of which the traveller can be discharged at the discretion of the treating physician if the patient’s genomic sample came back negative for the B.1.1.529 (omicron variant) of the coronavirus. If the sample tests positive for the new variant, however, strict isolation and treatment protocols shall follow till the time it comes back negative. 

For travellers coming from countries excluding those ‘at risk’: A random sample of 2% of the travellers (chosen at the discretion of the airlines) will undergo RT-PCR testing at the airport on arrival.

• If any of these came back positive for Covid-19, the sample will be sent for genome testing for the omicron variant and treatment shall be conducted as per standard protocols.
• If tested negative, on the other hand, the traveller will only be asked to monitor their own health for at least the next 14 days.

Now, if any of the passengers developed symptoms during the quarantine or self-health monitoring period, they should report to the nearest health facility or contact the national Covid-19 helpline (1075) or any of the state helpline numbers.

In an earlier order, issued two days ago, the Centre had said that airlines shall be allowed to pick and test 5% of the travellers who arrive from countries excluding those ‘at risk’. However, in the revised guidelines issued on November 30, the government modified this percentage to constitute 2% of the international travellers arriving from ‘at-risk’ countries.

While no cases of omicron have been reported so far in India, the Centre asked states and Union territories to keep their guards up, with authorities stepping their vigil for effective surveillance amid mounting concerns over the emergence of the new coronavirus variant. International passengers from these ‘at risk’ countries have also been advised to prepare to wait at the airports till the report of the RT-PCR test has come and not book connecting flights beforehand.

International airports in the national capital and other parts of the country have made preparations for the implementation of the new norms. To avoid congestion in the wake of the new guidelines, aviation regulator DGCA has issued a circular asking airlines and airport operators to ensure various measures are in place and that Covid-19 appropriate behaviour is followed.

As per the updated list on November 26, the countries designated as ‘at risk’ include European countries, the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Israel, and Hong Kong.