Omicron Threat: Centre Issues FAQ For International Passengers | Complete Details Here

The government on Wednesday issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), where it has stated that the travellers transiting through countries 'at-risk' but staying within the airports can be exempted from post-arrival testing in India.

New Delhi: With the rising concerns over the new Covid variant, Omicron, the government on Wednesday issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), where it has stated that the travellers transiting through countries ‘at-risk’ but staying within the airports can be exempted from post-arrival testing in India.

The government also informed that only two per cent of the passengers coming from countries that are not in the ‘at-risk’ list will be subject to random sampling for coronavirus and such passengers will be permitted to leave the airport after giving the samples.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Tuesday advised states not to let their guards down and keep a strict vigil on the international passengers coming to the country through various airports, ports and land border crossings.

Here are some of the key highlights from the FAQs issued by the government:

• Post-arrival testing can be exempted if a person is travelling from a not at risk country and has only a transit (without leaving immigration) in at risk country before taking the destination flight
• If the person has travelled to any at risk country in last 14 days, he/she will be asked for post arrival testing and other additional restrictions, etc
• The random sampling would be limited to 2% as per latest MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) guidelines and it would be on self-paid basis.
• Airlines/Airports may coordinate with the officials of State/UT governments to select the passenger at random sampling
• On whether travellers who have submitted their sample for post-arrival Covid test at the point of arrival (self-paid) have to wait for their test results before leaving or taking a connecting flight, the ministry said, “after the negative results are received, the passengers can take connecting flights to reach their final destination”.
• Passengers need not wait for the report of all the co-passengers

This came after stricter norms for international passengers came into effect from Tuesday midnight due to mounting concerns over the new Covid variant Omicron.

While no cases of Omicron have been reported so far in India, the Union government has asked states and Union Territories to ensure RT-PCR tests for travellers coming from ‘at-risk’ countries on the first day of arrival and retesting on the eighth day.