The Union government has relaxed the travel norms for passengers coming from six countries including China to India from February 13 as these six countries are witnessing a sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases in the last four weeks.

However, the random testing of 2 per cent travelers coming to India will continue.

Updating the ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, the Health Ministry has dropped the existing requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration for international travellers coming from/via China, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan. The new arrangement will come into practice from 11 am on Monday.

In a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare as a part of its proactive yet graded public health response to Covid-19 management has been updating ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ from time to time.

“In the last update, based on the increasing trajectory of COVID-19 and circulation of mutant variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in some countries, the Ministry had mandated requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ Portal,” the letter reads.

As has been witnessed in the last four weeks, these countries are witnessing a sustained and significant decline in the trajectory of Covid-19 cases, the Union Health Secretary said.

“Further, as per World Health Organisation’s latest situational update on Covid-19, a decline of 89 per cent in the number of newly confirmed cases in the past 28 days has been noted globally as compared to 28 days prior to that,” he said.

“Meanwhile, India has continued to witness a declining trajectory, with less than 100 new cases/day are being reported. In view of the above, this Ministry is updating its ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’, and dropping the existing requirements of pre-departure Covid-19 testing and uploading of Self-Health Declaration on Ministry of Civil Aviation’s ‘Air Suvidha’ portal applicable for international travellers coming from/via China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan,” the Union Health Secretary said in the letter.

“In order to monitor infections due to mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2 among international travellers to India, the present exercise of random testing of 2 per cent travellers to India (irrespective of country of origin) upon arrival in India shall continue,” the letter reads.