The Delhi Airport is likely to have a COVID-19 testing facility for international arrivals. By this, the passengers who test negative can avoid the seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine.
According to the Union’s Ministry of Health, passengers arriving from abroad must be quarantined for seven days, followed by seven days of quarantine at home.
“The government is considering setting up a COVID-19 testing facility at Delhi Airport. It takes about eight hours to get the results, which means the international passenger will have to stay on the airport premises for that length of time,” a government official said.
If the test result is negative, the passenger does not need to go through institutional quarantine, the official added.
After August 8, if an international passenger has a COVID-negative certificate from a test carried out 96 hours prior to travel, they can avoid the seven-day institutional quarantine in India.
“The test facility at Delhi Airport is intended for international passengers who do not have such a COVID-negative certificate and still want to avoid institutional quarantine,” said another government official.
Scheduled commercial international passenger flights have remained suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, special return flights and international charter flights have been approved by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of the Aviation Authority.
In addition, since July India has formed separate bilateral bubbles with countries such as the US, United Arab Emirates, France and Germany, under which airlines from both countries are allowed to operate international flights with certain restrictions.
As of August 8, a total of five categories of passengers have been exempted from the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine – pregnant women; those who died in the family; those suffering from a serious illness; Parents accompanying children under 10 years of age; those who have a COVID negative certificate from a test taken 96 hours before the trip.
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