Omicron covid variant spread: What you need to know before flying to India
Omicron covid variant spread: After almost two years, the government had on November 26 announced the resumption of scheduled international commercial flights from December 15
Amid fear of Omicron covid variant spreading to many countries, the Centre has revised guidelines for international arrivals in India. The government has decided to review the resumption of international flights, introduced stricter guidelines for people travelling from or transiting through 'at-risk' countries.
After almost two years, the government had on November 26 announced the resumption of scheduled international commercial flights from December 15. Flights are currently on under bilateral bubble arrangements with countries.
Passengers travelling from or transiting through 'at-risk countries will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival in India and will be required to wait for the results before leaving the airport or taking a connecting flight, according to revised guidelines issued by the Health Ministry.
Travellers coming from countries other than those listed as 'at-risk will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days after arrival, but five per cent of them will be randomly tested at the airport, it said.
New guidelines for international travel from 1 December
The revised guidelines mandate submitting 14 days' travel details and uploading a negative RT-PCR test report on the Air Suvidha portal before the journey. The new rules will come into effect from 1 December till further orders.
No case of Omicron covid variant in India so far
No cases of the variant, which was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, have been recorded in India.
Alert to the looming threat from the 'Omicron' variant, states began to re-tighten curbs and urgently trace people who arrived from abroad in the last one month. The Centre has asked all states and UTs to focus on intensive containment, active surveillance, enhanced testing, monitoring of hotspots, increased coverage of vaccination and augmentation of health infrastructure.
AIIMS Chief makes worrying statement on vaccine efficacy
According to a report in PTI, the new variant has the potential of developing "immunoescape mechanisms" which may lead to a decreased efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, according to AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guelria who said the efficacy of vaccines including those in use in India needs to be evaluated "critically".
India, which battled the deadly second wave blamed on the Delta variant in April-May, faces the Omicron challenge after easing curbs to a large extent following an improvement in the situation.
Where has the Omicron Covid variant been spotted?
The B.1.1.529 variant, designated as a "Variant of Concern" by WHO on Friday, has sparked a new wave of restrictions on travellers from various southern African nations by countries such as the US, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and the European Union.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
MoreLess
First Published:29 Nov 2021, 09:57 AM IST
- Top Gainers
- Top Losers
- 52 Week High