Explained: India’s new Covid-19 guidelines for international arrivals

Explained: India’s new Covid-19 guidelines for international arrivals

India has revised travel protocols for inbound international travellers on October 20, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said. The revised travel protocols will be effective from October 25. While there are no major changes made for travellers from the UAE, India has created a country-wise classification based on the epidemiological situation of Covid-19 in those countries. The listing of specified countries is a dynamic exercise based on the evolving situation of the pandemic across the world, said the Ministry of Health. Here is a breakdown of the new regulations: Arrivals to India have been classified into two categories: Travellers coming from ‘at risk countries’, and travellers from countries ‘excluding those enlisted as countries at risk’. Passengers from at-risk nations need to undergo additional testing at the airport. These nations are: Countries in Europe, including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe. “There are countries which have an agreement with India on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates of nationally-recognised or World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised vaccines. “Similarly, there are countries which presently do not have such an agreement with India, but they exempt Indian citizens fully vaccinated with nationally-recognised or WHO recognised