Passengers traveling from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand to India will be required to undergo RT-PCR tests before their departure, the Indian health ministry said on Thursday. Passengers from these nations will have to upload the COVID-negative RT-PCR test report on India's Air Suvidha portal starting on January 1, 2023.
"This is being done in view of the evolving COVID19 situation across the world, particularly in the aforesaid countries," the minister said.
The test must have been conducted within 72 hours of embarking on the journey to India, the ministry underlined.
The mandatory RT-PCR test requirement for passengers traveling from these countries to India is in addition to the random 2% testing of all international passengers upon arrival in India, regardless of their port of departure.
The tests were conducted on approximately 6,000 international passengers over the past three days, as the government has increased surveillance and requested state authorities to remain vigilant in the wake of the surge in COVID-19 cases globally.
According to health officials, India is also expected to witness an increase in coronavirus cases in January, with a projected rise over the next 40 days.
“Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia…. This has been a trend,” an official was quoted by Indian media.
Given the potential danger, India has conducted mock drills at hospitals across the country to ensure readiness for any COVID-related situation.
Although no restrictions on celebrations have been imposed by the government ahead of New Year, the public has been urged to follow COVID-safe behaviors.
Meanwhile, neighboring China announced it would resume inbound and outbound travel starting on January 8, despite experiencing a steep increase in COVID-19 cases due to the emergence of a new variant of the coronavirus, known as B.1.1.7.
According to the latest data provided by the National Health Commission of China, as many as 248 million people, or nearly 18% of the population, may have been infected with COVID-19 in the first 20 days of December.