Coronavirus: Omicron variant
India imposes quarantine again for 'at risk' arrivals
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Nirmala Ganapathy India Bureau Chief In New Delhi, Nirmala Ganapathy
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India is reimposing Covid-19 restrictions, including a seven-day home quarantine, on 12 economies including Singapore from tomorrow.
The move comes amid concerns over the Omicron variant first detected in South Africa.
"Passengers originating or transiting from at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post-arrival testing, quarantine if tested negative, stringent isolation protocols if tested positive," said a government statement.
The 12 "at risk" economies include the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Israel and Hong Kong. Travellers from these places will have to pay for the Covid-19 test at the airport and wait for the result.
Those who test negative will have to undergo home quarantine for seven days and then self-monitor for another seven days, in addition to a test on the eighth day of arrival. Samples of positive cases will be sent for genome sequencing to identify the variant.
The restrictions from tomorrow come shortly after the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) between India and Singapore took effect yesterday evening, with flights landing in both countries.
Under the VTL scheme, fully vaccinated travellers from VTL countries may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo Covid-19 testing.
Singapore has not detected any cases of the Omicron variant yet.
India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the new restrictions on Sunday evening following a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the emerging situation, said the statement.
The new guidelines come as India is moving towards opening up international travel. But it is now reviewing the decision to restart international flights from Dec 15.
