8 new countries added to ‘at risk’ list

In total, there are now 20 countries that need to follow additional Covid-19 measures including testing and tracking on arrival in India.

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The Indian government has added eight countries to the list of ‘at risk’ countries of international arrivals. The list was updated with the inclusion of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Zambia. In total, there are now 20 countries that need to follow additional Covid-19 measures including testing and tracking on arrival in India. Earlier, the list had only a dozen nations like South Africa, Brazil, China and New Zealand.

All international travellers arriving in India from the ‘at risk’ countries have to follow additional measures in comparison to passengers from ‘not at risk’ countries. These include self-paid, on arrival Covid-19 test, home quarantine for seven days, Covid-19 testing on eight-day post quarantine, and submitting a report on the Air Sewa portal.

The list was updated with the inclusion of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Zambia

The international travellers must show a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours on arrival and also mandatorily prebook a Covid-19 test, if arriving at any of the six major airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata. Passengers who do not pre-book their tests before boarding the flight from the airport of origin will be allowed to board their flight, but the concerned airlines will be responsible for booking tests for such passengers.

Last week, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) revised the guidelines for international arrivals into India, effective from January 11, 2022. As per the revised guidelines, passengers

originating/transiting from ‘at-risk’ countries would have to undergo “stringent isolation” if tested positive on arrival. The guidelines have been revised on the basis of a “risk-based” approach as the country has started reporting a new Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus.

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