No testing for jabbed visitors from 11 nations

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 20

Fully vaccinated travellers from 11 countries with which India has reciprocal arrangements for mutual acceptance of WHO-approved Covid vaccines will not need to quarantine or get tested upon arrival in India starting October 25 if 15 days have lapsed since their full vaccination. The travellers will only have to self-monitor their health for a fortnight.

The countries with reciprocal arrangements are UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia.

Issuing revised international travel guidelines superseding the existing standard operating procedure, the Health Ministry on

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Wednesday said partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers from the 11 countries and all those with which India did not have any agreement (irrespective of vaccination status) would need to submit a sample for post-arrival Covid-19 test after which they will be allowed to leave the airport.

These travellers will have to undergo home quarantine for seven days; retest on the eighth day of arrival and if found negative, further self-monitor their health for the next seven days.

The travellers from countries excluding those at risk will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days’ post arrival. Travellers under home quarantine or self-monitoring will have to self-isolate at a health facility or call national Covid helpline 1075 if found positive on retesting.

The guidelines further clarify that all travellers, including the fully vaccinated ones even from 11 countries that have reciprocity with India, will need to upload a negative RT-PCR report before boarding and this test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.

All travellers will also have to submit a declaration of authenticity of the report.

Reciprocity gesture

UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia on 11-nation list

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