Omicron: Mandaviya meets airport officials over screening at entry points

The health ministry has been advising states and union territories to keep a strict vigil and monitor international passengers arriving in the country through various airports.

The samples of international passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries on the first day and specified class of passengers on the eighth day need to be tested honestly, it had emphasized.

International travelers from at-risk countries are being advised to wait at airports till the RT-PCR test reports are available.

States and UTs have been asked to immediately send all the positive samples to INSACOG laboratories (mapped with the states) for genome sequencing and the states should do contact tracing of positive persons and follow up for 14 days .

The new potentially more infectious version B.1.1.1.529 was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on 24 November, and has been designated as the “Version of Concern” by the global body , which named it “Omicron”. ,

A “type of concern” is the WHO’s top category of worrying COVID-19 variants.

The Health Ministry on Tuesday revised guidelines for international arrivals, stating that 2 per cent of the total flight passengers arriving from countries that are not ‘at risk’ category will also be tested at airports. . ,

In addition, travelers from countries, excluding at-risk countries, will be allowed to exit the airport and self-monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.

Passengers arriving or departing from at-risk countries will have to undergo post-arrival RT-PCR test and wait for the results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight, as per the revised guidelines. 1 December.

If tested negative, they will follow home quarantine for seven days and test again on the 8th day of arrival in India, and if negative again, self-monitor their health for the next seven days As per the guidelines for International Arrival. (In supersession of all guidelines on the subject issued on and after November 28, 2021).

However, if such passengers test positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing on the INSACOG laboratory network.

They will be managed in a separate isolation facility and treated as per prescribed standard protocols including contact tracing, and contacts of such positive case should be placed under institutional quarantine or monitored strictly as per protocol prescribed by the respective State Government . ,

List of countries other than South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore from where travelers will have to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing, in Europe including the United Kingdom Huh. , Hong Kong and Israel.

Further, airlines will allow boarding only those passengers who have filled their self-declaration form on Air Suvidha portal and uploaded negative RT-PCR test report.

This test should have been done within 72 hours before starting the journey.

The guidelines state that 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 is not available to such passengers.

(with inputs from agencies)