INDIA — India will make a Covid-19 negative test mandatory for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand from 1 January, the health minister said on Thursday.
Travellers from these places would have to upload their test reports on an India government website before their departure, minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote on Twitter.
1 जनवरी 2023 से चीन, हांगकांग, जापान, साउथ कोरिया, सिंगापुर और थाईलैंड से आने वाले यात्रियों के लिए RTPCR टेस्ट अनिवार्य कर दिया गया है। यात्रा से पहले उन्हें अपनी रिपोर्ट एयर सुविधा पोर्टल पर अपलोड करनी होगी।
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) December 29, 2022
Passengers from these countries will now have to upload their RT-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.
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.”
Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement on Wednesday (28 Dec) that the country will maintain its prevailing Covid-19 rules towards incoming travellers from China as it prepares to reopen its borders from 8 January 2023.
MOH states that the prevailing border measures and vaccination requirements for travellers and work pass holders arriving from China remain unchanged.
It added that it is closely monitoring the international Covid-19 situation, and will adjust its border health measures as appropriate should the need arise.
