Omicron Alert!!! Pre-booking RT-PCR tests mandatory for ‘at-risk’ arrivals

S Sahoo December 15, 2021

66 2 minutes read

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday made it mandatory for international passengers arriving in India to pre-book RT-PCR test. The international passengers arriving at six major Indian airports would be required to pre-book their tests.

The rule will be effective from December 20. In the first phase, it will be applicable for those arriving at six airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

The Center has ordered pre-booking of RT-PCR tests for travelers boarding from ‘at risk’ nations or the people who have been in such nations in the former 14 days. This is on the lines of the standards in the UK, where showing up flyers must pre-book RT-PCR tests, sans which they aren’t permitted to load up trips to British air terminals.

In any case, according to Indian principles, travelers will not be denied boarding on the off chance that they don’t have the pre-booking. It will be the obligation of the aircraft to enroll the traveler for pre-booking.

In India, the framework would be carried out with impact from December 20 for those showing up into six air terminals — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — in the principal stage.

“Air Suvidha portal would be modified to allow the passengers to mandatorily pre-book the RT-PCR test if they are coming from the countries ‘at risk’ or have visited ‘at risk’ countries in the last 14 days … to stabilise the system and to ensure that the passengers would not have any problem in pre-booking, payment, etc, it may be implemented in six metro cities, namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the first phase,” according to a Civil Aviation Ministry memo.

According to the Health Ministry, the list of ‘at risk’ nations includes those in Europe, like the United Kingdom, as well as South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong and Israel.

“DGCA is mentioned to give warning to all aircrafts to really look at compulsory pre-booking of their travelers prior to loading onto the flight.

In the event that any traveler is having any troublesome in pre-booking, they may not be denied boarding, yet it would be the obligation of the aircrafts to recognize and go with such travelers to the enrollment counter at the air terminal for testing,” the memo read.

The memorandum also said that in case any passenger is having any difficulty in pre-booking, he/she may not be denied boarding, but it would be the responsibility of the airlines to identify and accompany such passengers to the registration counter at the airport for testing.