(MENAFN- NewsBytes)
Testing at airports across India has been made mandatory for travelers coming from dozens of 'at-risk' nations while some of those traveling from other countries will also be randomly tested. Here's what you need to know.
Context Why does this story matter?
The rules are crucial for international passengers arriving in India and may affect travel plans for many of them. Even though India has not reported a case of Omicron as yet, officials and the public are concerned about it. The strain is said to be the most heavily mutated version of the coronavirus so far.
Rules What are the fresh rules?
All international passengers coming to India need to fill a self-declaration form and submit a negative RT-PCR report before the journey. Those coming from at-risk nations must give their samples for testing. If found positive, they will be quarantined and their samples will be sent for genome sequencing. If found negative, they will undergo a seven-day home quarantine and retest on the eighth day.
Details What are the fresh rules? According to the rules, state officials will physically visit homes of quarantined individuals to ensure compliance. States are also required to undertake contact tracing of positive individuals and follow up for two weeks. Countries that have been labeled at-risk include South Africa, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, and all the European nations.
Information 4-6 hours' wait at Delhi airport for passengers International passengers may have to wait for up to six hours at the Delhi airport for their COVID-19 test results, NDTV reported. The company handling testing for that airport can process up to 500 tests per hour and efforts are underway to enhance the capacity.
Strain What do we know about Omicron?
Omicron, whose scientific name is B.1.1.529, has some 50 mutations including more than 30 in the key spike protein alone. However, symptoms displayed by patients infected with Omicron are 'mild' and can be treated at home, a top South African doctor said. Studies to determine the efficacy of COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and treatment against the new strain are ongoing, the World Health Organization said.
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