India updates list of at-risk countries as Omicron cases rise. check here

The government today also revised its travel guidelines, making 7-day home quarantine mandatory for international travellers.

list of countries at risk

1. Countries in Europe including the United Kingdom

2. South Africa

3. Brazil

4. Botswana

5. China

6. Ghana

7. Mauritius

8. New Zealand

9. Zimbabwe

10. Tanzania

11. Hong Kong

12. Israel

13. Congo

14. Ethiopia

15. Kazakhstan

16. Kenya

17. Nigeria

18. Tunisia

19. Zambia

From January 11, all international arrivals in the country will have to follow mandatory home quarantine for seven days.

As per the order issued by the Ministry of Health, travelers from specified countries at risk will have to submit a sample for post-arrival COVID testing at the first point of arrival (self-payment). Such passengers will need to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before departing or taking a connecting flight.

“If the test is negative, they will follow home quarantine for seven days and conduct RT-PCR test on the eighth day of arrival in India. Results of the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 done on the eighth day to the passengers days on the Air Suvidha Portal. If negative, they will self-monitor their health for the next seven days. However, if such passengers test positive, their samples will be further subjected to genomic testing on the INSACOG laboratory network. should be sent for,” read the copy of the order.

He said, “They will be managed in the isolation facility and treated as per the standard protocols mentioned, including the mentioned contact tracing. The contacts of such positive case should be kept under strict surveillance as per the protocol prescribed by the respective state government.” “

Travelers from countries other than at-risk countries will also follow the guidelines of the ministry. First, a sub-section (two per cent of total flight passengers) will undergo a post-arrival test at random at the airport on arrival. These two percent of such passengers on each flight will be identified by the respective airlines (preferably from different countries). Besides, laboratories will give priority to testing of samples of such passengers.

All passengers (including two per cent who were selected for random test on arrival and found negative) will undergo home quarantine for seven days and undergo RT-PCR test on the eighth day of arrival in India. Passengers will be required to upload the results of the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 done on the eighth day on the Air Suvidha portal (for monitoring by the respective States/UTs). If negative, they will self-monitor their health for the next seven days.

However, if such passengers test positive, their samples should be sent to the INSACOG laboratory network for genomic testing at a later stage. The health ministry said they would be managed in an isolation facility and treated as per the prescribed standard protocol, including contact tracing.

International passengers arriving through ports/land ports will also have to go through the same protocol as above, except that the facility of online registration for such passengers is not available at present. Such passengers will have to submit a self-declaration form to the concerned authorities of the Government of India at the ports/land ports on arrival.

Children under the age of five are exempted from both pre- and post-arrival testing. However, if symptoms of COVID-19 are found on arrival or during the home quarantine period, they will have to undergo testing and treatment as per the prescribed protocol.