Centre makes RT-PCR report mandatory for flyers from China, Hong Kong, four others

Travellers from these countries would have to upload their test reports on Air Suvidha portal before their departure

Passengers from China and five other Asian nations flying into India will have to share their RT-PCR test results before boarding a flight from January 1, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday, noting that the step was being taken due to the evolving Covid-19 scenario.

“International passengers travelling from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand will be mandatorily required to undergo RT-PCR tests before their departure and upload the Covid negative report on Air Suvidha portal from January 1, 2023,” a spokesperson of the ministry said in a statement. The test is to be conducted within 72 hours of the journey.

The RT-PCR requirement is in addition to the random 2 per cent tests of international passengers in all incoming international flights on their arrival irrespective of port of departure.

Also read: BBMP ramps up daily Covid-19 testing in Bengaluru; target to 5,000

This is one of the fresh precautionary steps that has been rolled out following a detailed discussion within the government as the Centre fears a rise in the Covid-19 numbers in January as a consequence of the massive surge in the cases being seen in China and a few other nations.

A country-wide dry-run was conducted earlier this week to check the availability of hospital beds, oxygen supply and manpower to tackle any sharp uptick in the number of cases in January. On Thursday, Mandaviya reviewed the status of the supply of essential medicines and other drugs with pharmaceutical firms.

The pharmaceutical companies were asked to keep a close watch on the global supply chain scenario and closely monitor the production and availability of APIs as well as formulations of essential medicines for Covid management, a ministry official said.

They were also asked to ensure adequate stocks and availability of all drugs, including Covid drugs, in the supply chain up to the retail level.