Is India Planning To Make Negative Covid Test Mandatory for Passengers from China? Here’s What We Know

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit the airport in Delhi on Thursday to take stock of testing and screening facilities there

Written by: Victor Dasgupta Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Published: December 28, 2022, 5:58 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/india/india-covid-latest-news-today-28-december-2022-covid-pandamic-japan-south-korea-hong-kong-thailand-and-singapore-air-suvidha-mansukh-mandaviya-pm-modi-rahul-gandhi-5827571/ Copy

International Flights Latest Update: The international air passengers will submit their samples and be allowed to leave the airport.

New Delhi: Amid the massive surge in the covid cases in China and other parts of the world, the Indian government is likely to make it mandatory for passengers arriving from China and five other places to have negative RT-PCR reports from next week, official sources said on Wednesday. The officials have also cautioned that the next 40 days will be crucial as India may see a Covid surge in January.

Even if there is a wave, deaths and hospitalisation will be very low, the Health Ministry sources said.

“Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia…. This has been a trend,” an official said. The sources said filling up of ‘air suvidha’ forms and 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing may be made mandatory from next week for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.

Covid In India: Here are some of the key details

• Filling up of ‘air suvidha’ forms and 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing may be made mandatory from next week for international passengers
• Passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore will have to fill the form
• 39 international passengers were found positive for COVID-19 out of the 6,000 tested on arrival in the last two days, according to the reports
• Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit the airport in Delhi on Thursday to take stock of testing and screening facilities there
• Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China and South Korea, the government has sounded an alert and asked states and Union territories to prepare for any eventuality.
• Following the surge, the government made random coronavirus testing mandatory for two per cent of passengers arriving in each international flight from Saturday.