INDIA — India announced on Saturday (24 Dec 2022) that PCR tests have been made mandatory for passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Passengers from these countries will now have to upload their PCR test report online before arriving in India.
Even after landing in India, they need to undergo thermal screening too.
Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic would be quarantined. It was reported that Indian authorities are taking up such measures to prevent possible spread of Coronavirus infection in the country.
“Passengers from China, Japan and Bangkok (Thailand) are being monitored through the ‘Air Suvidha’ portal,” said Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
Sample testing for these passengers will also be conducted randomly on arrival. “We have issued an order for them to be quarantined in the country if found positive, or with fever,” the minister said.
Experts in India have, however, assured that the situation in India may not deteriorate like that of China’s since the primary variant that’s driving the spike in cases in China is not new in India.
The BF.7 variant – sublineage of Omicron BA.5 – was earlier detected in India and four persons were found to be infected with it as well, but they have since recovered, noted the experts.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, there is no requirement for travellers to do any PCR testing before arriving here. ICA only said on its website: “All other travellers aged 13 and above may enter Singapore as per normal without testing or quarantine, only if they have taken minimum WHO-EUL vaccine dosage.”
Update 29 Dec: The Indian health minister has updated Singapore as one of the countries where travellers require to produce negative RT-PCR results before their departure.
