New Covid Rules for International Flights to India from Designated Countries: Notable Points

The Centre has lifted the requirement to submit the ‘Air Suvidha’ form due to the global decrease in Covid-19 cases. Here are some notable points on new covid rules.

The government has declared that pre-boarding RT-PCR tests, which were obligatory for travelers from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, and Japan, will no longer be mandatory starting Monday. The Centre has also lifted the mandate to submit the ‘Air Suvidha’ form for travelers entering via or through these six countries due to the sharp decrease in Covid-19 cases globally.

Notable points on New Covid Rules for International Flights

1. Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan informed civil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal through a letter stating the current pre-departure Covid-19 testing mandate and self-health declaration on ‘Air Suvidha’ for international arrivals from six countries will be changed due to the decrease in Covid-19 cases. The changes are made in light of the current situation.
2. The union health ministry will continue to monitor emerging variants. It will maintain the policy of randomly testing 2% of all incoming travelers to India for Covid-19, regardless of their country of origin. These random tests were halted in November but resumed on December 24 due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in China and its neighboring countries.
3. Starting from 11 am on February 13, the revised regulations will take effect.
4. The decision was made due to a significant drop in Covid-19 cases in those countries over the past few weeks.
5. According to the World Health Organization, there has been an 89% decrease in new infections in the last 28 days compared to the previous 28 days.
6. Wu Zunyou, the Chief epidemiologist at the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, recently announced that China is unlikely to face a large-scale resurgence of Covid-19 in the near future.
7. The number of daily Covid-19 cases in India has decreased, with less than 100 new cases reported daily. On Sunday, there were 124 new cases, and the number of infections increased to 1,843, while the death toll stood at 5,30,750. In December, India boosted its readiness to prevent a fresh surge in response to increasing cases in other countries after China ended its zero-Covid policy.
8. The health ministry’s website reports that approximately 220.62 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in India. 

   Recommended reading: Turkey Earthquake: Airlines Offer Free Tickets as Thousands Flee Affected Areas