Covid-19: 'Isolation' not mandatory for foreign arrivals coming from at-risk nations, says health ministry in revised guidelines

Travellers arriving in India from any country who will test positive for COVID-19 shall be treated/isolated as per the laid down standard protocol and will not mandatorily be managed at an isolation facility, authorities have said.

According to the revised ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals' released on Thursday, the new norm will apply from January 22 till further order.

The Union health ministry's revised protocol for international arrivals will come into effect from January 22. The other rules and requirements remain essentially the same. For arrivals from at-risk countries, it says: “…if such travellers are tested positive (on arrival), their samples should be further sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be treated/isolated as per laid down standard protocol.”

The rest of the provisions have remained the same in the revised guidelines.

The existing guidelines state that travellers coming from any country including those considered 'at-risk' shall be managed at an isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol.

The revised guidelines removed the clause that mandated staying at an "isolation facility" upon arrival.

Passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to a medical facility as per health protocol.

If tested positive, their contacts shall be identified and managed as per protocol.

Foreign arrivals who test positive will still have to undergo home quarantine for seven days even after they test negative and undertake RT-PCR test on the 8th day of arrival in India.