Omicron Threat: Pre-Booking RT-PCR Must For Int'l Travellers From 'At Risk' Nations At 6 Airports

All international travellers arriving at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will have to compulsorily prebook an RT-PCR test.

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: On the backdrop of the ongoing surge in case of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the Government of India has made it mandatory for all international travelers from 'at-risk' countries, arriving at major airports to have a compulsory RT-PCR test report.

As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, all international travellers arriving at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will have to compulsorily prebook an on-arrival RT-PCR test, starting December 20.

The government has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to check before boarding whether international passengers from all at-risk nations headed to these six airports have pre-booked their test.

"Air Suvidha would be modified to allow passengers to mandatorily pre-book RT-PCR test if they are coming from at risk countries in the last 14 days. Link to the airport concerned website would be provided in the Air Suvidha platform (to passengers) while filling up the self declaration form," the notification read.

In order ensure proper implementation of the order, the government has also decided to give a lead time to passengers by making it applicable from December 19-20 midnight and six major airports have been shortlisted in the first phase.

India's Omicron Tally Climbs To 49

The travel curb comes hours after India's Omicron tally reached 49 on Tuesday with fresh infections being reported in Delhi and Rajasthan.

According to reports, a 42-year-old man from Gujarat who recently returned from South Africa tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, four new cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant have been reported in Delhi, taking the total tally in the national capital to six. Delhi government has said that Omicron infection is under control in the capital city and there has been no locally transmitted cases in the community so far.