Covid tests for flyers from six countries

1 min read . Updated: 30 Dec 2022, 06:45 AM IST Priyanka Sharma

RT-PCR tests have been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1 January 2023. (PTI)

This is in addition to the 2% random testing of all international passengers on their arrival at an Indian airport.

NEW DELHI : RT-PCR tests have been made mandatory for flyers coming from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1 January 2023. They will have to upload their reports on the Air Suvidha portal before travel, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet on Thursday.

This is in addition to the 2% random testing of all international passengers on their arrival at an Indian airport.

The health ministry said, “International passengers travelling from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand to India will be mandatorily required to undergo RT-PCR tests before their departure from these countries/destinations and upload the covid negative RT-PCR test report on Air Suvidha portal from 1st January 2023. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours of undertaking the journey to India." More than 6,000 international travellers have been randomly tested for covid at Delhi airport in the last two days, of whom 39 tested positive.

Government officials warned that the next 40 days would be crucial in determining the possibility of a resurgence of covid-19 cases in India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Priyanka Sharma

Priyanka Shamra is a health and pharma journalist with nearly nine years of field reporting experience. She is a special correspondent with Mint. Her beat includes covering the Ministry of Health and Department of Pharmaceuticals. She also covers the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Department of Biotechnology.