The Ministry of Health, Government of India, issued updated guidelines on Monday, January 2, for passengers traveling from high-risk nations. The previous guidelines didn’t mention transit passengers, which caused travelers to be confused because different airports in India had different opinions on the subject.
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At first, the Delhi Airport stated that transiting passengers from high-risk nations were not required to submit a self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha Portal or provide a negative RT-PCR test. They later changed their mind and said that these passengers would have to show a self-declaration form and take an RT-PCR test.
Revised Guidelines for Transit Passengers
The Health Ministry has now clarified that, in accordance with the updated guidelines, all passengers on international flights departing from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Japan are eligible. must complete RT-PCR testing prior to departure (within 72 hours of departure).
This will also apply to transiting passengers through these countries irrespective of their originating countries before coming to any Indian Airport.
According to the guidelines, passengers on all international flights departing from these nations must have access to the Air Suvidha Portal maintained by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. with a self-declaration form and the option for foreign visitors arriving in India to submit negative RT-PCR test results via this portal.
It is important to note that many international tourists traveling between India and the Far East, Indonesia, Australia, and the west coast of North America use Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong as common transit points.
Some transit passengers may be forced to take a flight with no stops as a result of this new requirement that they have a negative RT-PCR report.
It is important to note that the current procedure of randomly testing 2% of international travelers after their arrival—regardless of their destination port—will continue.
