Flyers From UK To Carry COVID Negative Report & Also Undergo Test On Arrival

New Delhi: All passengers travelling from the UK between January 8 and January 30 will have to undergo a self-paid COVID-19 test on arrival at the airport. They will also have to carry a negative test report which should be done 72-hour prior to their journey.

This is as per the government of India’s new standard operating procedure (SOP) for travellers flying into India arriving from the UK, in the wake of a new strain of the coronavirus detected recently in Britain.

The Indian government suspended flights to and from the UK from December 23 to 31, before extending the ban till January 7.

On Friday, Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that UK flights will resume from January 8 on a restricted basis.

Following are the detailed SOP:

* All international travellers who will be travelling from the UK to India will have to declare their travel history of past 14 days. They will submit the declaration on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel.

* All passengers arriving from the UK are required to carry negative RT-PCR test report obtained 72 hours prior to the journey. The same will also need to be uploaded on the portal mentioned above.

* On arrival at Indian airports, all passengers will be subjected to self-paid RT-PCR tests. In case of positive test results, passengers will be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate (isolation) unit coordinated by the respective state health authorities.

* Pseated in the same row of the COVID-positive patient, three rows in front and three rows behind will also be subjected to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centres.

* Passengers who are found COVID-negative after the tests conducted at the airport will be advised home quarantine for 14 days and the concerned state or district administration should regularly follow up with them.

* In case genomic sequencing indicates the presence of new variant of SARSCoV-2, the patient will continue to remain in a separate isolation unit as per existing protocol, till his sample is tested negative.

* The state/UT governments are requested to set up Help Desks at airports concerned to facilitate the implementation of the SOP.

Also Read: New Coronavirus Strain: India Bans All Flights To & From UK Till Dec 31

Also Read: India To Resume Flight Operations With UK From Jan 8, Says Minister