Travellers coming into India from a list of 20 countries now have to undergo mandatory isolation at home for a week, the Union Health Ministry has announced.

The seven-day home quarantine will be followed by an RT-PCR test on the eighth day. The guidelines came into effective from January 11 and will remain effective till further government orders.

Prior to undertaking the journey to India, all travellers have to upload a negative RT-PCR result conducted within 72 hours of the beginning of the journey.

Each passenger also has to submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report and will be liable for a criminal prosecution, if found otherwise, according to the guidelines.

As per the new rules, travellers coming from countries specified as “at-risk” also have to be tested for Covid-19 on arrival and then are required to wait for the results at the airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight. At Delhi Airport, you can get the test done for INR 500 and get the result within 6-8 hours. Those who test positive will be sent to an isolation facility.

If they test negative, they need to undergo home quarantine for seven days and then get the RT-PCR test done on the 8th day. If again negative, they have to further self-monitor their health for the next seven days. Furthermore, they must upload the results of the RT-PCR test conducted on the 8th day on the Air Suvidha portal.

Children under 5 are exempted from both pre-and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during the home quarantine period, they shall undergo testing and be treated according to the laid down protocol.

The following is the list of ‘at-risk’ countries:

All countries in Europe including the United Kingdom (for the rules from the UK, see this link)

South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Israel, Congo, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zambia.