India Brings Back Covid-19 Restrictions For Travellers From 12 Countries Due To Omicron Variant
As the new Omicron variant emerges, countries around the world have been reimposing Covid-19 restrictions, especially where high-risk countries are involved.
India appears to be the most recent country to reimpose such restrictions.
From Wednesday (1 Dec), travellers from 12 countries will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days after arriving in India.
The Indian authorities explained that the economies chosen were deemed to be “at risk”, reported The Straits Times (ST).
India reimposes restrictions for S’pore travellers due to omicron variant
From 1 Dec, Singaporeans travelling to India will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days.
India categorised a total of 12 economies to be “at risk”, including Singapore. The other countries consist of the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Israel, and Hong Kong.
The announcement was made on Sunday (28 Nov) evening by India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation.
The Indian government explained their concerns about the rise of the Omicron variant that was first detected in South Africa.
This came just 1 day following the commencement of the Singapore-India vaccinated travel lane (VTL).
Travellers have to undergo at least 7 days of home quarantine
The statement by the Indian government said travellers originating or transiting from at-risk countries will be informed by the airlines about post-arrival testing.
They will have to pay for the Covid-19 test at the airport and wait for the result.
Even if they test negative, travellers will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days and self-monitor for another 7 days.
A test will also be administered on the 8th day of arrival.
As for those who test positive, stringent isolation protocols will be required. Additionally, their samples will be sent for genome sequencing to identify the variant.
While India has been attempting to open up international travel, the government is currently reviewing the decision to restart international flights from 15 Dec, reported ST.
Hope situation will improve soon
Since the Omicron variant is still relatively new, there is still much uncertainty about its potency and transmissibility. Hence, it is only understandable that countries are on their guard.
Hopefully, the situation will improve soon to allow individuals to have a smoother travel experience.
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Featured image adapted from Julian Yu on Unsplash.
