COVID take a look at obligatory at airport for travellers touchdown in India from ‘international locations in danger’- The New Indian Categorical

By On-line Desk

NEW DELHI: India has made post-arrival COVID-19 testing on the airport obligatory for travellers, regardless of their vaccination standing, coming from ‘international locations in danger’ in addition to pre-departure testing undertaken 72 hours upfront.

The ‘in danger’ international locations embody Europe, the UK, and 11 different international locations – South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

In response to a press assertion issued by the Ministry of Well being and Household Welfare referring to the up to date ‘Pointers for Worldwide Arrivals’ for passengers discovered optimistic in these assessments, they are going to be remoted and handled as per the scientific administration protocol and their samples may even be taken for Complete Genome Sequencing. The passengers discovered damaging can depart the airport however should bear house isolation for 7 days, adopted by repeat testing on the eighth day of arrival in India, adopted by 7 days of self-monitoring.

The Centre had issued revised tips on November 28. These up to date tips issued on Monday, which might come into impact on December 1, says that, additional, in view of stories of an rising variety of international locations reporting the Omicron variant, the current tips additionally mandate that 5% of travellers coming from international locations that aren’t within the ‘in danger class’ may even be examined on a random foundation at airports for COVID-19.

Samples of all people testing optimistic for COVID-19, both at airports underneath house isolation or throughout random sampling, may even be despatched for Complete Genomic Sequencing at recognized INSACOG community laboratories to find out the presence of SARS-CoV-2 variants (together with Omicron).

The B.1.1.529 variant (Omicron) was first reported to WHO from South Africa on November 24 and the WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) on November 26 has categorised it as a Variant of Concern (VoC) in view of the big variety of mutations famous within the variant, a few of which can make it extra transmissible and have immune escape behaviour. The rising proof on the difficulty is being monitored by the Union Ministry of Well being.

States have additionally been suggested to hold out rigorous surveillance of worldwide passengers, enhanced testing, monitoring the hotspots of COVID-19, guaranteeing augmentation of well being infrastructure, together with enterprise samples for whole-genome sequencing.

Whereas the Union Ministry of Well being continues to carefully comply with the evolving nature of the pandemic, strict adherence to COVID acceptable behaviour (use of masks/face cowl, bodily distancing, hand hygiene and respiratory hygiene) and enterprise COVID-19 vaccination stay the mainstay for managing the outbreak on the neighborhood stage.