'Operations Running Smoothly': Delhi Airport as New Rules Over Omicron Kick In

The airport said that 1,013 passengers had arrived from four ‘at risk’ countries and completed formalities.

Operations for international arrivals are running smoothly after the new guidelines in light of the emergence of the COVID-19 omicron variant came into effect on Tuesday night, Delhi International Airport Limited said.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Operations for international arrivals are running smoothly after the new guidelines in light of the emergence of the COVID-19 omicron variant came into effect on Tuesday night, Delhi International Airport Limited said on Wednesday, 1 December.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Airport said that a total of 1,013 passengers had arrived from four ‘at risk’ countries and completed formalities, including taking RT-PCR or rapid PCR tests.

The Union Health Ministry on Sunday, 28 November, announced revised travel guidelines for international passengers in order to curb the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, which has been classified as a 'Variant of Concern' (VoC) by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The list of countries deemed 'at-risk' by India includes all the countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.

What Are the New Guidelines for Travellers From These Countries?

Travellers from at-risk countries will have to get tested for COVID-19 post-arrival and will have to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.

If tested negative, travellers will have to remain in home quarantine for seven days, with a retest on the eighth day.

However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples will be sent for genomic testing at the INSACOG lab.

The positive patients will then be taken to an isolation facility and treated as per laid-down standard protocol, including contact tracing.