Mandatory RT-PCR Test for International Passengers Entering India from 7 More Countries - Details Here

The Ministry of Health has now mandated negative RT-PCR tests for passengers flying from seven more countries including China and South Africa to India. The move comes in light of the new COVID variant – C.1.2 – that was recently discovered to be more infectious with better capability to evade the protection of the vaccines. Ahead of this, the rule was applicable to a few countries such as UK, Europe and Middle East. New countries added in the same list include South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe

The new variant was first discovered in South Africa in May. Since then it has been detected in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, England, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland. As per the new guidelines of Health Ministry, only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the flights from India and on arrival, they will again be tested for Covid through RT-PCR test. In addition to this, the ministry has also asked the states to send a fixed percentage of samples of positive cases among international travellers for genome surveillance.

Recently in view of detection of more transmissible variants of SARS-COV-2, passengers arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai from countries including UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid RTPCR Test on arrival with effect from 00.00 hrs on 3rd September 2021.

As per the new guidelines, institutional quarantine mechanism is done away with and the passengers shall be governed by following-

A) All the International Passengers arriving from OR transiting through UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid RTPCR test on arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, with effect from 03.09.2021 at 00.00 hrs.

B) Earlier granted an exemption for fully vaccinated passengers and for passengers age above 65 years etc. won’t be applicable from September 3rd.

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C) All other passengers (except UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe) who have to exit Mumbai Airport or to take connecting flight shall display their negative RT-PCR test report conducted within 72 hours of the journey and can exit the airport.

D) All passengers shall have to submit their self-declaration form and undertaking to officers deployed at the Mumbai Airport and shall be mandatorily subjected to 14 days home quarantine.

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