Revising the existing guidelines for all international arrivals in view of the rising Covid cases and the Omicron threat, India on Friday made seven days home quarantine mandatory.

The new guidelines will be effective from January 11 till further notice.

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Travellers coming from specified countries at risk will have to undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake an RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India, as per the guidelines.

These travellers will have to submit samples for the post-arrival Covid-19 test at the point of arrival (self-paid).

Such travellers will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.

If they test negative, they will follow home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake another RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.

The travellers shall also be required to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test for Covid-19 done on the 8th day on the Air Suvidha portal.

If negative, they will further self-monitor their health for the next 7 days. However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at the INSACOG laboratory network, as per the new guidelines.

Travellers coming from countries other than the list of risk countries will also undergo home quarantine for 7 days and shall undertake an RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.

They will have to upload results of repeat RT-PCR test on the Air Suvidha portal and if found negative, they will further self-monitor their health for the next 7 days.

The guidelines said that all travellers should submit complete and factual information in a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled travel, including travel details of the last 14 days. They need to upload a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.

The passengers coming from or travelling to at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post-arrival testing. They will be quarantined if tested negative and will be subjected to stringent isolation protocols if tested positive, as per the new guidelines.