India to reintroduce Covid-19 screening at international airports
NEW DELHI, December 24, 2022
India has started conducting thermal screening at its international airports of all arriving passengers from abroad with effect from today (December 24).
All fliers arriving in India should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against Covid-19 in their country, the health ministry said in fresh guidelines amid renewed fears over the virus.
An alarming surge in Covid-19 cases in China has triggered fresh concerns over the virus.
Any passenger with symptoms of Covid-19 during travel must be isolated as per standard protocol, according to the new rules.
The said passenger should wear a mask, be isolated and segregated from other passengers in flight and shifted to an isolation facility subsequently for follow-up treatment, it added.
As concerns about a global spurt in Covid-19 cases mount, India will also randomly test two percent of all international arrivals for coronavirus infections.
This was announced by India’s Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, yesterday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to assess the Covid-19 situation in the country.
"The meeting reviewed preparedness of health infrastructure and logistics, status of the vaccination campaign in the country, the emergence of new Covid-19 variants and their public health implications for the country," an official readout of the meeting said.
"This high-level review meeting comes in the backdrop of a spike in Covid-19 cases in some countries," it added.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the steady decline in India's Covid-19 infections, which fell to an average of 153 daily cases and a low weekly positivity of 0.14% until December 22.
Modi reiterated that the pandemic is not over yet and directed officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at the international airports. “The Prime Minister cautioned against complacency and advised strict vigil,” the readout added.
Meanwhile, one of India's biggest tourist attractions, the Taj Mahal, will now demand that visitors produce a negative RT-PCR test result before they enter the mausoleum complex.
