No more RT-PCR needed for passengers from China & other countries | Fusion - WeRIndia

Good news for international passengers arriving from China and other five Asian countries as RT-PCR is no more required for them. These countries are Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

Today the Union Health Ministry has issued a notification saying that the RT-PCR test is not mandatory for those arriving from any of the above six countries from Monday.

In other words, those who arrive from these six countries need not undergo an RT-PCR test from February 13. However, the practice of 2% random testing will continue to track new Covid cases and mutated versions.

At present, 2% of all international travellers (irrespective of the country of origin) who arrived in India will have to provide samples for Covid testing at designated counters in the airports. It will continue till further orders are given by the ministry.

As the number of Covid-19 cases is decreasing, the ministry decided to drop the RT-PCR test requirement for passengers arriving from these countries. The ministry also said that passengers need not upload the self-health declaration on the Air Suvidha portal.

The Union Health Ministry released the updated guidelines for international arrivals. The notification related to new Covid guidelines for international travellers has been issued by the ministry due to a sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases in the last four weeks.

That means a significant decline has been witnessed in new Covid cases for the past 28 days. Less than 100 cases per day were reported in the last four weeks in India. Similarly, a significant decline was seen in the number of Covid cases across the globe as well.

As per the World Health Organization, a decline of 89% was noted in newly confirmed Covid cases.

That’s why the Union Health Ministry decided to drop RT-PCR testing for international arrivals. The decision will help promote the travel industry since it is a big relief to international travellers.

Image Credit: Bharatahs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:International_Arrivals_area_at_Indira_Gandhi_International_Airport.jpg