The government on Monday scraped the mandatory Air Suvidha form for international travellers flying to India. This development comes amid a declining number of Covid cases.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) also revised guidelines for international travellers that will be effective from November 22.
What is the Air Suvidha form?
Air Suvidha that had been introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Health Family Welfare aimed to provide a contactless solution to international travellers arriving in India. It is a self declaration form for the flyers. India's Covid Tally
India logged 406 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,69,421 while the active cases dipped to 6,402, as per official data on Monday.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the MOHFW website.
What are the revised guidelines?
As per the MoHFW's latest guidelines, air travellers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against Covid in their country. They also had to provide "details of negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report (the test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey) or submit details of full primary vaccination scheduled of Covid vaccination", as per the earlier guidelines.
Only children under the age of 5 years were exempted from both pre and post-arrival testing, it had said. Further, the ministry said that all travellers should self-monitor their health post-arrival. They should report to their "nearest health facility or call National helpline number (1075)/ state helpline number in case they have any symptoms suggestive," it added.
During air travel, the ministry said that in-flight announcements about the ongoing pandemic, including precautionary measures to be followed such as preferable use of masks and following physical distances, should be made in flights/ travel at all points of entry. Any passenger having symptoms of coronavirus during travel should be isolated as per standard protocol, it added.
What were the guidelines issued by Health Ministry?
The previous guidelines issued by the MoHFW required international travellers to fill up the Air Suvidha form. The form was introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
India's Covid Tally
India logged 406 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,46,69,421 while the active cases dipped to 6,402, as per official data on Monday.
The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the MOHFW website.
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