The revised guidelines issued by the MOHFW allows travellers to apply for the exempt from Institutional Quarantine provided that they test negative for COVID2019.
You need to register at https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/allairports
There have been some new guidelines that fell into place at midnight on the 8th of August 2020 (as per the circular released by the Government). Many people have been trying to find out if they can travel back and what changes this will entail for those who have planned their arrival after this date.
In this regard the Ministry of Health and Welfare has released guidelines for those arriving in India.
All the travellers coming in must register on the portal www.newdelhiairport.in and fill in a self-declaration form. This form will have to be filled at least 72 hours before arrival. All travellers also have to provide an undertaking whereby they agree to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine will be 7 days institutional, which the traveller must pay for. The next 7 days can be self-isolation at home where the health of the traveller can be self-monitored.
If the travellers have some pressing circumstances such as a death in the family, pregnancy or they have children below 10 years of age accompanying them they may apply for self-quarantine at home. In case the travellers need to apply for this exemption they should not leave it for “upon arrival”, they must apply on the online portal (mentioned above) at least 72 hours prior to boarding. The government will communicate their decision on the portal and this will be deemed as “final”.
Those who wish to seek exemption from institutional quarantine can also do so by presenting a negative RT-PCR test when they arrive. A word of caution here is that it is required for this test to have been conducted“within 96 hours of undertaking the journey”; it must also be uploaded on the portal for consideration. Along with this those arriving into India must also submit a declaration that vouches for the authenticity of this report. If the information is found fraudulent, the traveller is liable to criminal prosecution.
It has been suggested that all travellers download Aarogya Setu app before travel. All passengers will be thermally screened. Upon commencement of boarding, only those who do not have a fever and are asymptomatic will be allowed to board. All possible social distancing methods will be applied at airports during this boarding process. Precautions that serve to environmentally sanitize and disinfect premises will also be practised.
During the duration of travel, the passengers and crew are meant to follow precautions such as wearing a mask, hand and respiratory hygiene along with environmental hygiene.
In the case of people arriving by land, they too must be asymptomatic in order to be allowed to enter the country.
Passengers want to know what to expect in terms of the scenario at the airport upon landing. The guidelines mention that social distancing will be followed while deplaning.
Upon entry to the airport, the passengers must show their self-declaration form to the staff that they have filled prior online. There will be a thermal screening post landing. If passengers are symptomatic they will be taken to a medical facility and be isolated immediately as per health protocol.
The remaining passengers will be taken to institutional quarantine facilities and kept in quarantine for a minimum of 7 days. These facilities are those that have been arranged by the Union Territory or State governments. These passengers will be tested as per ICMR protocol. Those who test asymptomatic / very mild case or presymptomatic will be allowed home quarantine for a minimum of 7 days. They can also be isolated in the COVID facility this can be public or private.
If a passenger has serious/mild/moderate symptoms he/ she will be admitted into a COVID facility. Those who are tested and found negative will be allowed to home quarantine themselves for the next 7 days. If these passengers develop symptoms they must inform the district surveillance officer.
Passengers who have been exempted from institutional quarantine after applying on the portal in advance (and have received approval prior on the portal), due to pressing circumstances are not exempt from quarantine – they too, will have to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days as per the requirement stated. It is also important to know that states have the freedom to develop their own set of protocols in relation to isolation and quarantine. This can be done after their assessment of the passenger after his or her arrival in the state concerned.
Getting NHS Test KIT
You need to apply online to get the KIT at: https://self-referral.test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/antigen/name
Kindly note that you will be logged into the Test & Trace system, meaning if you are COVID2019 positive, you will be asked for mandatory home quarantine. The form is bit long, but you will get the kit in a maximum of 2 working days. For my case, we got it in 1 day. Follow the step by step instruction given in the kit.
Printing the Result
You will get the result over the email in 1 day after posting through the priority post box directly into your email and mobile as text SMS. Just print the email which quotes your name and date of birth in it.
If you are not a resident, you will not get the kit.
Uploading the results
In the New Delhi Airport quarantine exemption form, just scan and upload the printed results. You should get the exemption approval in 12 hours.
MOHFW Guidelines
02.08.2020
Government of India
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Guidelines for international arrivals
(in supersession of guidelines issued on the subject dated 24th May 2020)
(to be operational from 00.01 Hrs, 8th August 2020)
Before Planning for Travel:
- All travellers should submit self-declaration form on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel.
- They should also give an undertaking on the portal that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days i.e. 7 days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by 7 days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health.
- Only for compelling reasons/ cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in the family, serious illness and parent(s) with children of the age of 10 years or below, home quarantine
maybe permitted for 14 days. - If they wish to seek such exemption under para (iii) above, they shall apply to the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before boarding. The decision taken by the
government, as communicated on the online portal, will be final. - Travellers may also seek exemption from institutional quarantine by submitting a negative RTPCR test report on arrival. This test should have been conducted within 96 hrs prior to
undertaking the journey. The test report should be uploaded on the portal for consideration. - Each passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise. The test report could also be produced upon arrival at the point of entry airport in India.
Before Boarding
- Dos and Don’ts shall be provided along with the ticket to the travellers by the agencies concerned.
- All passengers shall be advised to download Arogya Setu app on their mobile devices.
- At the time of boarding the flight/ ship, only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board after the thermal screening.
- Passengers arriving through the land borders will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, and only those who are asymptomatic will be enabled to cross the border into India.
- Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection shall be ensured at the airports.
- During boarding and at the airports, all possible measures to ensure social distancing to be ensured.
During Travel
- Travellers who had not filled in self-declaration form on the portal shall fill the same in duplicate in the flight/ship and a copy of the same will be given to Health and Immigration officials present at the airport/ seaport/ Iandport. Alternatively, such travellers may submit self-declaration form on the online portal at arriving airport/ seaport/ Iandport as per the directions of the concerned authorities, if such facility is available.
- Suitable announcement about COVID-19 including precautionary measures to be followed shall be made at airports/port and in flights/ships and during transit.
- While onboard the flight/ ship, required precautions such as wearing of masks, environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene etc. are to be observed by airline/ ship staff, crew
and all passengers.
On arrival
- Deboarding should be done ensuring social distancing.
- Thermal screening would be carried out in respect of all the passengers by the Health officials present at the airport/ seaport/ Iandport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown (or a copy of physical self-declaration form to be submitted) to the airport health staff.
- The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to the medical facility as per health protocol.
- Post thermal screening, the passengers who have been exempted from institutional quarantine (decision as indicated on the online portal in advance) will show the same to the respective State Counters on their cell phones/other modes before being allowed home quarantine for 14 days.
- The remaining passengers shall be taken to suitable institutional quarantine facilities, to be arranged by the respective State/ UT Governments.
- These passengers shall be kept under institutional quarantine for a minimum period of 7 days.
- In case, any symptoms develop they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center (1075).
They shall be tested as per ICMR protocol available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Revisedtestingguidelines.pdf
If they test positive, they shall be assessed clinically.
- If they are assessed as asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic/ very mild cases, they will be allowed home isolation or isolated in the COVID Care Centre (both public & private facilities) as appropriate.
- Those having mild/ moderate/ severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID Health facilities and managed accordingly.
If found negative, they shall be advised to further isolate themselves at home and self-monitor their health for 7 days.
NOTE: States can develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment post-arrival of passengers in the state concerned.
