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Revised guidelines for international arrivals in India

Posted on: January 29, 2021 | Back | Print


Government of India 
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 
Guidelines for International Arrivals 

(in supersession of guidelines issued on the subject dated 2nd August 2020) 

Before Planning for Travel
 
i. All travellers should submit self-declaration form on the online portal  (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel or physically  after arrival at the respective health counters. 
 
ii. They should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to Ministry of Civil  Aviation, Govt. of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to  undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate  government authority to undergo facility / home quarantine/ self-monitoring of their  health for 14 days, or as warranted. 

iii. Only for compelling reasons/ cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in  family, serious illness and parent(s) with children of the age of 10 years or below,  home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days.
  
iv. If they wish to seek such exemption under para (iii) above, they shall apply to the  online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before boarding. The  decision taken by the government as communicated on the online portal will be final. 
 
v. Travelers may also seek exemption from institutional quarantine by submitting a  negative RT-PCR test report. This test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey. The test report should be uploaded on the portal for  consideration. Each passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to  authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found  otherwise. The test report could also be produced upon arrival at the point of entry  airport in India. 
 
vi. International passengers arriving without an RT-PCR negative certificate and wishing to seek exemption from institutional quarantine may also avail the facility available at  the airports to undergo RT-PCR testing (where such provisions exist) 

vii. All such passengers opting for exemption from institutional quarantine as in para (v)  & (vi) shall undertake self-monitoring of their health and will be exempted from  quarantine.
 
viii. International passengers arriving without RT-PCR negative certificate and not opting  for RT PCR test at airport (if facility is available) /arriving at an airport where testing  facility is not available will have to undergo mandatory 7 days’ institutional quarantine  and 7 days’ home quarantine.

Before Boarding
  
ix. Dos and Don'ts shall be provided along with ticket to the travellers by the  airlines/agencies concerned.  

x. All passengers shall be advised to download Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.  xi. At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to  board after thermal screening.
  
xii. Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection  shall be ensured at the airports. 
 
xiii. During boarding all possible measures to ensure physical distancing are to be ensured.
 
During Travel
  
xiv. Travellers who had not filled in self-declaration form on the portal shall fill the same  in duplicate in the flight and a copy of the same will be given to Health and Immigration  officials present at the airport. 
 
xv. Suitable announcement about COVID-19 including precautionary measures to be  followed shall be made at airports and in flights and during transit.
  
xvi. While on board the flight, required precautions such as wearing of masks,  environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene etc. are to be observed by  airline staff, crew and all passengers.
  
On arrival
  
xvii. Deboarding should be done ensuring physical distancing.
  
xviii. Thermal screening would be carried out in respect of all the passengers by the Health  officials present at the airport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown  (or a copy of physical self-declaration form to be submitted) to the airport health staff.
  
xix. The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately  isolated and taken to medical facility as per health protocol. 
 
xx. Post thermal screening, the passengers who have been exempted from institutional  quarantine [para (iii) and (iv) above] (decision as indicated on the online portal in  advance) will show the same to the respective State Counters on their cell  phones/other mode before being allowed home quarantine for 14 days.
  
xxi. Post thermal screening, the passengers who have RT-PCR negative certificates already  with them [(para (v) and (vi)] shall be exempt from quarantine and shall be allowed  to leave and undertake self-monitoring of their health for 14 days.
  
xxii. All such passengers will also be provided the list of the national and state level  surveillance officers and the respective call centre numbers, so as to inform  state/national Call Centre in case they develop symptoms at any time during the  quarantine or self-monitoring of their health.

xxiii. The remaining passengers shall be taken to suitable institutional quarantine facilities,  to be arranged by the respective State/ UT Governments to undergo mandatory 7  days’ institutional quarantine and 7 days’ home quarantine. 

xxiv. These passengers shall be kept under institutional quarantine for a minimum period  of 7 days.
  
a. They shall be tested as per ICMR protocol.
  
b. If they are assessed as asymptomatic / pre-symptomatic/ very mild cases, they  will be allowed home isolation or isolated in the Covid Care Centre (both public  & private facilities) as appropriate.
  
c. Those having mild/ moderate/ severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated  Covid Health facilities and managed accordingly.
  
d. If found negative, they shall be advised to self-monitor their health for  additional 7 days.
  
International passengers arriving at seaports/land ports 
 
xxv. International Passengers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to  undergo the same protocol as above, except that facility for online registration is not  available for such passengers currently
xxvi. Such passengers shall submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities  of Government of India at seaports/land ports on arrival. 

NOTE: States can have any additional restrictions imposed with regards to quarantine and  isolation as per their field assessment post arrival of passengers in the state concerned.