News Analysis India

Tag: COVID-19 Tests

  • India to drop pre-departure Covid tests for travellers from China, other countries

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: India will drop the need for pre-departure Covid-19 tests and the uploading of the Air Suvidha form for international passengers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand and Japan. But random testing of 2 percent of all international travellers at the airports will continue.

    The new guidelines for international arrivals will come into practice from 11am Monday.

    The decision to drop the existing requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of Air Suvidha form from passengers travelling from these hotspot countries was taken after they witnessed a “sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases in the last four weeks.”

    In a letter to the Secretary of Aviation, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “Ministry is updating its ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, and dropping the existing requirements of pre-departure COVID-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ portal applicable for international travellers coming from/via China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.”

    “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a part of its proactive yet graded public health response to COVID-19 management has been updating ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ from time to time. In the last update, based on the increasing trajectory of COVID-19 and circulation of mutant variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in some countries, the Ministry had mandated requirements of pre-departure COVID-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ Portal,” the letter said.

    ALSO READ | Covid -19 still a global health emergency, but in transition point: WHO

    The health secretary also said that as per the World Health Organization’s latest situational update on Covid-19, a decline of 89 percent in the number of newly confirmed cases in the past 28 days has been noted globally as compared to 28 days prior to that.

    “Meanwhile, India has continued to witness a declining trajectory, with less than 100 new cases/day being reported,” the letter said.

    However, 2 per cent random testing will continue “in order to monitor infections due to mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2 among international travellers to India, the present exercise of random testing of 2 per cent travellers to India (irrespective of country of origin) upon arrival in India shall continue.”

    On December 29, the ministry had announced mandatory pre-departure testing and uploading of negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test reports and self-health declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal for travellers coming from these hotspotcountries. The step was taken in view of a surge in Covid cases in some countries, including neighbouring China.

    NEW DELHI: India will drop the need for pre-departure Covid-19 tests and the uploading of the Air Suvidha form for international passengers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand and Japan. But random testing of 2 percent of all international travellers at the airports will continue.

    The new guidelines for international arrivals will come into practice from 11am Monday.

    The decision to drop the existing requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of Air Suvidha form from passengers travelling from these hotspot countries was taken after they witnessed a “sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases in the last four weeks.”

    In a letter to the Secretary of Aviation, the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, “Ministry is updating its ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, and dropping the existing requirements of pre-departure COVID-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ portal applicable for international travellers coming from/via China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.”

    “Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as a part of its proactive yet graded public health response to COVID-19 management has been updating ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ from time to time. In the last update, based on the increasing trajectory of COVID-19 and circulation of mutant variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in some countries, the Ministry had mandated requirements of pre-departure COVID-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ Portal,” the letter said.

    ALSO READ | Covid -19 still a global health emergency, but in transition point: WHO

    The health secretary also said that as per the World Health Organization’s latest situational update on Covid-19, a decline of 89 percent in the number of newly confirmed cases in the past 28 days has been noted globally as compared to 28 days prior to that.

    “Meanwhile, India has continued to witness a declining trajectory, with less than 100 new cases/day being reported,” the letter said.

    However, 2 per cent random testing will continue “in order to monitor infections due to mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2 among international travellers to India, the present exercise of random testing of 2 per cent travellers to India (irrespective of country of origin) upon arrival in India shall continue.”

    On December 29, the ministry had announced mandatory pre-departure testing and uploading of negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test reports and self-health declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal for travellers coming from these hotspotcountries. The step was taken in view of a surge in Covid cases in some countries, including neighbouring China.

  • Members of Republic Day contingents, ministries, government depts undergo COVID test ahead of parade

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Republic Day parade, members of the tableaux contingents from various states, ministries and government departments underwent COVID-19 tests at a cultural camp in Delhi Cantonment on Friday, officials said.

    On the sidelines of a media preview held at the camp, members belonging to different tableaux queued up in a corner where medical staff housed under two canopies collected samples from them for RT-PCR tests.

    An official from the diagnostic testing team said several members of different contingents had brought RT-PCR tests reports with them when they had arrived in Delhi and later joined the camp in the cantonment area, while others were tested for the coronavirus infection after their arrival here.

    Members of contingents in their colorful traditional costumes stood in two lines, one each in front of the two canopies while wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

    Some artists, who got their swabs taken, were dressed up in dancing costumes, such as the ones from south India and Maharashtra contingents.

    “It is very amusing to see people in traditional costumes, getting their swabs taken, women from Karnataka and Maharashtra in beautiful sarees and make-up are standing in a queue, and I am wearing my traditional Ladakhi dress,” said Stanzin Dodon, a female member of the Ladakh contingent.

    Diksit Palmo, who hails from Leh, said, all the members of the Ladakh contingent brought negative RT-PCR reports when they arrived in Delhi.

    “We came to the camp on January 10, and today we got our RT-PCR tests done too. All of us will be tested as we gear up for the parade,” she said.

    Awareness posters on COVID-appropriate behaviors have been put up on tents across the camp, including at the makeshift canteen and washrooms.

    Delhi recorded 266 fresh COVID-19 cases and seven deaths on Friday, even as the positivity rate stood at 0.37 per cent.

    The tally of COVID-19 cases stood at over 6,33,542 in the city and the death toll mounted to 10,789, authorities said.

    Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday had said the pandemic situation in the city was under control but people should continue to observe all safety norms.